Tourism Models Not To Be Simply Copied in China

Foreigner-run resorts stimulate consumer demand from both domestic and foreign tourists, boost tourism in Deqing County, enhance the living standards of local residents, and expand the market of local agricultural products. Currently, low-carbon tourism in the form of “foreigner-run resorts” gradually leads the new trend in tourism of regions south of the Yangtze River, and is viewed as a new model for the transformation and upgrading of rural tourism.

People show much enthusiasm to foreigner-run resorts. While we aspire the exotic culture and unique and authentic local culture, is it possible for us to learn from and copy the successful business experience in Deqing County to benefit more areas? The key issue lies in what we can learn from them.

One possible scenario is that due to the appreciation foreigner-run resorts have earned, they get on the publicity brochures of many places for their local tourism. However, is the direct and brutal copy of successful models what we want? Since 1990s, inspired by Wuzhen, Xitang, Tongli, Mudu and places of Jiangnan style, many places cloned the pavilions and architecture styles of Jiangnan flavor in an attempt to popularize their local tourism with fake “ancient town” title. They did succeed in transplant architecture styles, but the quiet, elegant, simple and natural Jiangnan flavor could not be created artificially. With the rise of tourists’ taste and demand, these non-authentic “ancient towns” failed in interesting people. Similarly, the French cuisine, home-brewed wine, bird’s nest villas, treetop apartments and other services of “foreigner-run resorts” might be copies, but there is no way to clone the local natural scenery and cultural atmosphere. Actually, the uniqueness of “foreigner-run resorts” does not lie in special hills, streams or architecture, but in the perfect blend of urban and rural, local and foreign, and traditional and modern lifestyle. Their respect to nature is not a simple regression to idyllic life, but is the integration of concept of low-carbon sustainable development into daily life and the promotion of harmonious coexistence of man and nature. The most crucial part is human beings who take a break from their city life in pursuit of nature with ease and simplicity. That’s why “foreigner-run resorts” in Deqing County make a hit with the combination of advantages in timing, geographic features and people’s will.

Then, does this mean the success of “foreigner-run resorts” only exists in the remote dream of their followers with envy? Absolutely not. Though it’s about development in tourism, the point in learning from “foreigner-run resorts” is how we digest others’ experience of success. We all want to emulate those better than ourselves, but in our practice we unconsciously understand their success in a superficial way which only leads to the copy of successful models and forming of stereotypes. In such a manner, we fail to learn the essence and instead lose ourselves. For example, after the success of Alibaba, parents began to send their kids to computer courses; the major of international trade gained massive popularity after China’s accession to the WTO; various satellite TV channels launched similar programs after the success of match-making program broadcasted in Jiangsu TV; many cities made investment in building markets following the success of Yiwu International Trade Mart. The lessons we can learn from these examples are to avoid eagerness for quick success and instant benefits and simplified copying of empirical models. It is natural that winners are imitated while never surpassed.

Therefore, to learn from low-carbon “foreigner-run resorts”, the first thing to do is to not learn from them. In other words, we should first understand ourselves and recognize our uniqueness. Once we have accepted the unique ourselves, what we can learn from them will go beyond the villas, swimming pools, wooden benches etc. The fantastic and unique forms of “foreigner-run resorts” are truly one of the reasons for their success. However, what we should do is definitely not to simply copy its combination of ancient and modern, and western and Chinese style, but to digest the essence. To tourism, the inspiration brought by these low-carbon “foreigner-run resorts” is that, though artificially designed, they are the products of the philosophy of integrating natural scenery, idyllic scenery, human civilization, and modern tourism management. Their success also lies in the accurate market orientation. To government, the success of low-carbon “foreigner-run resorts” is not the product of wishful thinking in tourism industry, but a natural social product. Deqing County government has played an important role in the development of low-carbon “foreigner-run resorts”, mostly in guiding the business with norms and providing quality tourism services to promote their development.

Let’s quote from Leo Tolstoy in Anna Karenina, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” In the process of learning from the model of low-carbon “foreigner-run resorts”, we may modify the quotation, “Successful businesses are successful in their own ways; failures often follow the same pattern.”

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