Tourism accolade boosts Sichuan village's popularity

Gyatso, a local entrepreneur, felt immense pride when his village was named "Best Tourism Villages" by the United Nations World Tourism Organization in October. The dramatic boost to his homestay business as a result of the designation was an unexpected but welcome bonus.

"Guest numbers surged so much that I had to hire several fellow villagers to help run the business,"Gyatso said.

Nestled on the southeastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an altitude of about 2,000 meters, Jikayi village in Danba county, Sichuan province, is a living museum of Gyalrong Tibetan culture. The Gyalrong Tibetans, an indigenous ethnic group who primarily live in western Sichuan, are known for their stone architecture and rich cultural heritage.

Covering 5.95 square kilometers, the village is home to 92 households and 408 residents. Despite its small size, it serves as a "cultural gene bank" for the Gyalrong Tibetans, preserving a wide range of intangible cultural heritage.

These include national-level Tibetan watchtower construction techniques and western Sichuan Tibetan folk songs, as well as provincial-level traditions such as Tibetan liquor brewing, coming-of-age ceremonies and the Danba Guozhuang dance.

"Before tourism took off, life in our village was not affluent despite the fertile land," said Kelsang, the village's Communist Party of China secretary. "Household income mainly depended on women selling plums, Sichuan peppercorns and other farm products at markets, while most men worked away from home to support their families."

The turning point came in 2007 when villagers began opening homestays. The trend accelerated after China proposed its rural vitalization strategy in 2017.

"Infrastructure improved significantly, attracting more tourists and encouraging villagers to run homestays and start livestreaming," Kelsang said, adding that many university graduates have also returned to start businesses.

Dekyi Tso, 30, is among these entrepreneurs. After graduating from a university in Chengdu about a decade ago, she returned to Jikayi and spent three years building a homestay that blends traditional Tibetan architecture with modern amenities.

Since opening in March 2020, the 21-room homestay has recorded steady year-on-year growth in guest numbers. Last year, it hosted 15,000 tourists. "In the past, it was difficult to keep young people in the village. Now they can find jobs right at their doorstep," said Dekyi Tso, whose business has created employment for more than 20 local residents.

She said rising incomes have been accompanied by growing confidence in ethnic culture, with more villagers voluntarily wearing traditional attire and performing ethnic songs, dances and handicrafts.

"The UNWTO recognition is a huge encouragement for us," she said. "We believe more tourists and investment will come, making our village even better."

Kelsang said the key to Jikayi's tourism success lies in integrating traditional culture into development. "Houses and ancient watchtowers have retained their traditional appearance, while cultural practices such as coming-of-age ceremonies, Guozhuang dance and mountain songs have been well preserved," he said.

More than 90 percent of households now participate in the tourism industry, with 74 families operating homestays. The village's per capita disposable income reached 41,000 yuan ($5,900) last year, up more than 20 percent year-on-year, Kelsang said. "Life is becoming more promising for everyone, and our hearts are filled with hope."

Building on Jikayi's success, the county government has launched a comprehensive plan to develop a tourism zone centered on the village and extending to four neighboring villages. The plan includes a smart tourism platform with multilingual guides and online booking services, ecosystem diversity study programs, nighttime economy projects, and a Tibetan watchtower construction skills training center, local authorities said.