Horse racing events drive up tourism in county of China's Guizhou

Sandu Shui Autonomous County in southwest China's Guizhou Province has created a "Guizhou Village Horse" brand by blending ethnic horse racing culture with modern tourism, attracting more tourists with fresh and exciting experiences.

With the starting signal, a dozen horses leap out of the starting gate, running in the race track with cheers and shouts from the passionate crowd.

"I think the performance is wonderful, and it is something I've never seen before," said one of the viewers.

Sandu County stands as the sole autonomous county of the Shui ethnic group in China. Renowned as a horse-riding minority, the Shui ethnic group has a rich tradition of raising horses and organizing horse racing. This tradition is deeply ingrained in their cultural heritage. Large-scale horse racing events are usually held to celebrate festivals.

However, the sports events have in these days fused with modern tourism, becoming a new bright spot for the local tourist consumption as it continues to draw audiences from far and wide.

Data showed that in the first two months of this year, the number of tourists to Sandu County to watch the horse racing events exceeded 800,000, a 25-percent increase year on year, with tourism revenue growing by more than 55 percent.

"Tourists' demand has grown larger, so we’ve made plans for the future. We hope to attract more tourists to Sandu through holding more interesting events," said Wu Maohua, an official of the Cultural and Tourism Bureau of Sandu County.

Since 2023, Sandu County has brought in professional companies to operate and manage horse racing events, and has invested to build the "Western Horse Racing City."

In the "Western Horse Racing City", a 1,601-meter-long racetrack, built entirely to international standards, has already been put into use. It can accommodate 14 horses to race at the same time.

The tourist destination covers five major sections, including sports horse racing, cultural performances, tourism and vacation, education and training, and horse trading.

"Travel agencies, educational and training institutions, and people wanting to learn horseback riding are coming to Sandu. We've made such a big commitment to investing here, because we see a promising future for the 'Guizhou Village Horse' brand," said Qin Yunfeng, a person in charge of the "Western Horse Racing City".

In addition, it has also become a display area for riders to perform equestrian stunts. According to a new plan, starting from April, local riders will be invited here to participate in horse races every weekend.

Local hotels and catering sector are rushing to meet the growing demand of the tourists. A four-star hotel in the county is currently in its final stage of interior decoration.

Furthermore, the county has been accelerating the development of boutique homestays and star-rated hotels. Currently, a total of 11 homestays and 16 star-rated hotels are in operation, with five investment projects around traditional villages. Supporting facilities are being developed at a rapid pace, and the rising frequency of horse racing events is also increasing the demand for more riders.

A young man named Shi Shaozhang, who had been involved in horse racing-related work in other places, returned to the county at the end of last year as the 'Guizhou Village Horse' gained popularity. He now offers horse boarding services and trains racehorses for both local customers and those from beyond.

"Great changes have taken place in the county. There are more events now, so I thought about contributing to the development of this industry and helping more kids from the mountainous villages to go outside to compete," said Shi.

Meanwhile, many young people in the county are also eyeing racehorse rider as a new career path.

This year, a vocational school in the county launched an equestrian program, the first of its kind in the Guizhou Province, focusing on cultivating students in horse training, breeding, and management.

"This year, we have planned to enroll 50 students, and by 2026, we aim for 100. We have also planned to build a horse training facility at the school to support the development of the horse industry," said Wang Tianli, vice principal of the vocational school.

Horse racing events drive up tourism in county of China's Guizhou

Horse racing events drive up tourism in county of China's Guizhou

The China-Laos Railway, a landmark project of the Belt and Road Initiative, has handled 487,000 cross-border trips with passengers from 112 countries and regions in the past two years, according to China Railway Kunming Group.

Since the cross-border passenger service was officially launched on April 13, 2023, the railway linking Kunming of southwest China's Yunnan Province and Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, has facilitated increased trade, tourism, and cultural exchange between the two countries.

This year, tourist bookings from ASEAN countries to Xishuangbanna, a popular tourist destination in Yunnan Province, have increased by more than 250 percent this year, with hotel occupancy rates consistently exceeding 85 percent and a surge of over 35 percent in tourism spending.

To meet growing passenger demand, railway authorities have taken a series of targeted measures, including increasing the international passenger trains between Xishuangbanna and Laos' Luang Prabang from four to six days per week, and adding a stop at Nateuy station in Laos.

The number of cross-border passenger seats per train has increased from 250 at the outset to 390, while daily inbound and outbound passenger flow has surged from 300 to a peak of 1,300.

The railway has also stimulated investment and trade along the route. The Saysettha Development Zone in Vientiane has attracted over 150 companies from nine countries and regions, including China, Japan, and Malaysia, generating an annual output of over 2 billion U.S. dollars.

China-Laos Railway handles over 480,000 cross-border trips in 2 years