Lanzhou, December 11th (Xinhua) -- The "branch branch flight" route activates the Western Silk Road tourism

Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jie

Say goodbye to "special forces" travel, save money and worry. This is the biggest feeling of Mr. Zhang, a Shanghai tourist, during his recent trip to Gansu.

Gansu Province, located on the golden route of the ancient Silk Road, boasts a blend of Silk Road culture, Great Wall culture, grotto culture, Yellow River culture, folk culture, and red culture. Cultural and tourist attractions such as Mogao Grottoes and Colorful Danxia are renowned both domestically and internationally. However, due to factors such as narrow terrain and scattered scenic spots, the development of Gansu's cultural and tourism industry has long faced the dilemma of "short travel time for tour leaders", which not only affects the tourist experience but also restricts the high-quality development of the industry.

After the launch of the "supporting and connecting flights" model by Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group, tourists participated in a ten thousand person concert at Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring Scenic Area. (Photo by Xie Wei)

Opening the map on his phone, Mr. Zhang zoomed in and said, "Gansu is really narrow. It's over a thousand kilometers from Lanzhou to Dunhuang." Originally struggling with how to develop a travel guide, he discovered that there was a "connecting flight route" between Lanzhou, Qingyang, and Dunhuang: after arriving in Qingyang from Lanzhou for a day of sightseeing, he could continue to take the flight to Dunhuang. He could not only experience the folk customs and red culture of Gansu, but also appreciate the scenery of the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, and save on construction fuel costs.

This change stems from the bold innovation of Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group Co., Ltd. this year.

Proactively seeking change and weaving a network of routes - Prior to this summer's aviation season, with the support of Gansu's finance, transportation and other departments, Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group visited multiple airlines with branch line operation qualifications, including Huaxia Airlines, Chengdu Airlines, Jiangxi Airlines, etc., combined with big data to deeply explore market potential, and tackled key links such as route planning, customer source forecasting, aircraft type selection, and revenue evaluation one by one. Finally, they joined hands with Huaxia Airlines to launch the "support and support" mode, opening two routes from Lanzhou to Jinchang to Jiayuguan and from Lanzhou to Zhangye to Dunhuang.

Actively exploring new opportunities and integrating aviation and tourism - In order to further drive consumption and expand domestic demand, Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group has leveraged the advantages of its subsidiary Civil Aviation International Travel Agency to carefully create six core products, including "flight+hotel" special packages, a series of study tours, in-depth tours within the province, classic tours of Longshang connecting flights, VIP small package tours, secondary and monthly cards for connecting flights within the province, and other products.

In terms of research and development activities, Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group has designed and developed five types of research and development activities, including Qingyang Youth Qihuang Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Research Camp, Jinchang Mars Base Research Camp, Zhangye Colorful Danxia Geological Science Popularization Camp, Jiuquan Jiayuguan Aerospace Science Popularization Camp, Dunhuang Dream Seeking Art Research Camp, etc., in conjunction with the province's inter flight routes, which can meet the needs of different ages and society.

The youth study team is preparing to board the plane and participate in the study activities launched by Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group. (Image provided by interviewee)

The revitalization of air routes not only makes the "Air Silk Road" more smooth and widely connected, but also enriches passengers' experiences and choices, effectively promoting the average passenger load factor of connecting flights from 60% in the initial stage to over 75%.

The Proposal of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, approved at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, proposes to lead new supply with new demand, create new demand with new supply, and promote a positive interaction between consumption and investment, supply and demand.

The Fourth Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China Central Committee has pointed out the direction for enterprises to explore new paths to expand domestic demand, "said Wang Guiyu, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group Co., Ltd. After the start of this winter flight season, Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group continues to innovate its products and services, further activating the" regional pulse "and smoothing the" air corridor ".

Diversified expansion and radiation extension - After the start of the winter flight season, Gansu Civil Aviation Airport Group has newly opened five connecting flight routes from Jiayuguan to Lanzhou to Qingyang, Dunhuang to Lanzhou to Longnan, Lanzhou to Jiayuguan to Dunhuang, Lanzhou to Qingyang to Dunhuang, and Chongqing to Jinchang to Dunhuang, covering seven cities including Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, Jinchang, Qingyang, Longnan, Dunhuang, and Zhangye.

According to statistics, as of early December, the newly opened inter flight routes in Gansu have transported over 260000 passengers. This year, the passenger throughput of Dunhuang Mogao International Airport and Jiayuguan Jiuquan Airport exceeded 1.3 million and 1.2 million respectively, setting a new historical high.

We will implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China, further improve the air route network, and form a '1-2 hour aviation radiation circle' centered on Lanzhou. In addition to covering inter provincial flights, it will also extend to northwest regions such as Xinjiang and Qinghai, adding more cultural missions and development vitality to the 'Air Silk Road' that carries a millennium civilization, "said Wang Guiyu.

Editor: Lu Jiaqi