Xiongan New Area becoming a hot tourism spot

Xiongan New Area in North China's Hebei province has become a popular travel destination since the area was established in April last year.

"More people are coming here to see what Xiongan is like, either for a business trip or for pleasure," said Liu Huibin, a taxi driver at Rongcheng county in Xiongan.

Liu said most of his passengers are non-locals and he has become busier than before, especially during holidays.

The area saw a tourism boom during the latest three-day May Day holiday a week ago.

The three counties of Xiongxian, Rongcheng, and Anxin received more than 220,000 tourists from April 29 to May 1, according to local tourism bureaus.

The most popular Anxin county saw an year-on-year increase of 50.6 percent.

Among all scenic spots, Baiyangdian in Anxin county- one of the largest freshwater wetlands in North China - topped the list for its popularity.

It received more than 70,000 tourists during the three days.

Another emerging destination is the Xiongan New Area Citizen Service Center in Rongcheng county, which is the first major project built in the area.

The center is a complex for government departments and company offices as well as a venue for events like exhibitions and conventions.

It was attractive to tourists because the prefabricated buildings are featured by green, smart and innovative elements.

Apart from natural scenery and new buildings, there are almost 600 immovable and more than 300 movable historical relics, including traditional houses, old wells, grinding stones and drama stages, according to a report in the Hebei TV news.

Based on their destinations, tourists seemed to be interested in both the current changes in Xiongan and also its history, Liu said.