Huimin MA，Xi ZHAO，Tongyi WU

School of Resource and Environmental Sciences,Wuhan University,Wuhan 430079,China

Responsible editor:Xiaoxue WANG Responsible proofreader:Xiaoyan WU

Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture,abbreviated to Bortala,is situated in the northwest of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region,and it is divided into two county-level cities,Bole and Alashankou,and two counties,Jinghe County and Wenquan County.There are 35 nationalities in Bortala,dominated by Han Chinese,while the remainder are Mongol,Uyghur,Kazakh,Hui or of other nationalities.What’s more,magnificent natural landscapes and special national customs make contribution to rich tourism of Bortala.The research,therefore mainly focuses on distribution of tourism resources in Bortala,makes evaluation on tourism development,as well as proposes the scheme advancing tourism evolvement of Bortala.

Distribution of Tourism Resources in Bortala

Types of tourism resources

According to Classification,Survey,and Assessment of Tourism Resources in China (GB/T18972-2003),tourism resources in Bortala are within 124 basic types,30 subcategories and 8 categories,representing 80%,96.8%and 100%.Of totaling 321 tourism resources,168 items are natural resources,taking up to 52.3%,and 153 human resources,taking up to 47.7%.

Bortala is located in the border of Northern Xinjiang,where rainfalls are abundant on neighboring mountains.It is cool in summer and warm and snowy in winter,taking advantages in developing tourism,such as summer resort,skating or skiing.Besides,the prefecture borders Kazakhstan to the norther and west and has an Alataw Pass,laying foundation for border tourism[1].

Bortala is one of major sites for prairie culture in Western Regions,as well as a part of Silk Road in history,with lots of ancient cultural relics left by the horde.Because of westward migration of Chahar and Torghut returning,Bortala has become a multi-ethnic group co-existence region dominated by culture of Mongolia,with attracting human landscapes.

Furthermore,Bortala includes Sayram Lake,the largest alpine lake in Xinjiang,Ebinur Lake,the largest inland saltwater lake in Xinjiang,Valleys of Fantastic Rocks,the largest-scale fantastic rocks in Asia,Ganjiahu Baisuosuo Natural Reserve,the most extensive region with Haloxylon persicum in Asia,Jinghe medlar,the largest-area grown medlar with local brand in Xinjiang,Bortala Fresco Gallery,the longest high-temperature ceramic mural in Xinjiang,and Wenquan County,the only county named after geothermy in China[2].

Distribution characters of tourism resources

Abundant with both of natural and human landscapes According to recent statistics,of totaling 321 tourism resources,168 items are natural resources,taking up to 52.3%,and 153 human resources,taking up to 47.7%.It can be concluded that natural landscapes-to-human landscapes is close to 1:1 in Bortala.

Specifically,for natural landscapes,Sayram Lake,Eltuokosail Valley,Xiaerxili Natural Reserve,as well as Valleys of Fantastic Rocks are appraised as grade 5 tourism resources,followed by grades 4 and 3 tourism resources.Therefore,tourism resources of Bortala is diversified,with high quality.

As for human landscapes,Aobao(heaps of stones used by the Mongolians and Tibetans as markings for roads or boundaries) scenic spot characterized by culture of Mongolia,and Chahar Westward Migration Pagoda themed by Chahar westward migration,are dominant.It is notable that human landscapes in Bortala should be further exploited.

Concentrated distribution and rational layout of tourism resourcesAs shown in Fig.1,13 grade A and other famous scenic spots were spotted which are mostly distributed along roads.In terms of accessibility,with Bole as a center in Bortala,it takes about two hours to reach different scenic spots,and it is clear that it is rational for distribution of landscapes.

Rich tourism resources to be developedBortala is abundant with tourism resources,covering 80%basic tourism types of national standards.Nevertheless,development of tourism resources maintains lower.For example,only 10 grade Ascenic spots are available.Hence,the development degree in Bortala lags behind compared with tourism resources which are far from developed into tourism products.

Status quo of Bortala Tourism Development

Basic status of tourism industry

Bortala has abundant tourism resources,including 10 grade Ascenic spots,two grade AAAAscenic spots,namely,Sayram Lake and Valleys of Fantastic Rocks,three grade AAAscenic spots such as Bole Waterfront Scenic Spot,Jinghe County Waterfront Scenic Spot,and Wenquan County Bogedaer Scenic Spot,and 5 grade AAAscenic spots,such as Jinghe Aobao heishantou Scenic Spot,Jinghe Bayinamen Scenic Spot,Wenuan Etuokesaier Scenic Spot,Adunquelushitoucheng Scenic Spot,and Alataw Pass Scenic Spot.

In accordance with Xinjiang Statistical Yearbook and National Economy and Social Development Statistical Report of Bortala in 2012,it can be concluded that annual tourism incomes increased from 37 to 450 million yuan from 2003 to 2012 and the number of tourists from 250 000 to 2.004 million(Table1)[3].

As shown in Table1,statistical data in 2007-2009 changed a little.For example,in 2008,the number of inbound tourists and income of inbound tourism increased considerably compared with 2007,of which the former grew by 62.10% and the latter by 131.25%,respectively,compared with the same periods of last year.It is analyzed that the First Bicycle Circling Game of Sayram Lake made the largest contribution,which attracted an increasing number of tourists,at home and abroad.However,the number of tourists only increased by 16.72%yearly and national tourism income index decreased by 2.80%,which indicate that Bortala tourism is still underdeveloped,and the acceptance capacity is limited.Consequently,a complete industrial chain is not shaped yet,and the capacity is constrained for tourism resources transformation into tourism economy.

In 2009,some indices declined,covering the number of inbound tourists,the income of inbound tourism and national tourism incomes,but started to grow in 2010,due to stable Xinjiang society,and newly-constructed Bole Airport.

It is known that the proportion of tourism income to GRP can be for evaluating the contribution of tourism industry to local economy,and the research used the following equation:

Table1 Relevant data of tourism in Bortala

The proportion of tourism income to GRP=Annual tourism income/GRP×100%[4].

Hence,annual tourism incomes of Bortala and the proportion can be computed(Fig.2).

As shown in Fig.2,tourism incomes increased significantly from 2011,and the year-on-year growth reached 49.63%,which was mainly under influence of transportation.The construction of Bole Airport was finished and came into service in the second half of 2010,improving transportation of Bortala.Hence,it can be concluded that inconvenient transportation constitutes a major factor preventing tourism from further evolvement.

In the research,Tacheng City,close to Bortala,with similar location and tourism resources,and

Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture,also close to Bortala with powerful development of tourism industry,were taken as references.

As shown in Fig.2,the proportion of tourism income of Bortala grew from 1.37% in 2004 to 2.41% in 2012,suggesting the contribution by tourism was increasing.From Fig.3,however,the development of tourism in Bortala lagged behind of the rest before 2012.In 2012,the proportions of Bortala was much close to that of Tacheng City.The proportions of Ili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture,nevertheless,were always 3 or 5 times as high as those of Bortala in the same period.In conclusion,tourism industry in Bortala has effects on economy growth,but still develops in an initial stage.

Tourists and infrastructure construction

According to national economy and social development reports of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in 2012,Bortala received 1.547 million tourists,at home and abroad,enhancing by 22.8%compared with the same period last year until December 31,2012,and annual tourism income reached 450 million yuan,with a year on-year growth at 32.16%.

In terms of domestic market,tourists of Bortala are dominated by population in Xinjiang,because it is far from inland,which is hardly to attract inland tourists.Hubei Province is special,for it is a province supporting Bortala and most relatives of carders who had come to Xinjiang for aid purposes would choose traveling in holidays.Hence,Hubei Province can be taken as a breakthrough for exploiting inland market.

Until the end of 2012,Bortala has 5 travel agencies,including an international agency,13 star-rated hotels,943 guest rooms,and 1 677 berths.It is clear that tourism enterprises are few in Bortala and the receiving capacity is to be further explored.

As for transportation,roads,railways,and airports are all available from Bortala to Urumchi.Specifically,it takes about 8 h through national road 312,and the distance of road from Urumchi to Bortala is about 505 km.The train 5801/2 from Urumchi to Bortala will depart at dusk and arrive in the morning of the following day,passing Jinghe,Bole,and Alataw Pass,which takes about 11.767 h.For Bole Airport,two planes depart daily to Urumchi,taking one hour.Although the transportation from Urumchi to Bole are complete,the flights operation time is few.It is clear that transportation of Bortala is limited to certain extent.

Optimization of Layout of Tourism Resources in Bortala

Spatial layout of tourism resources in Bortala

Tourism resources of Bortala are distributed in the shape of"an axis and a point".Specifically,"an axis"refers to taking provincial roads 304 and 305 as an axis,along which tourism landscapes are distributed along Dzungarian Alatau,such as Aerxiati,Ebinur Lake Wetland Reserve,and Jinghe Aobao."A point" refers to Sayram Lake Scenic Spot.With the "an axis and a point" distribution,the scenic spots do not connect with each other,and most tourism products provided by travel agencies are one-day tour on a single scenic spot.It can be concluded that tourism resources scatter extensively[5].

Optimization of tourism resources layout of Bortala

On basis of spatial distribution and development factors of tourism resources of Bortala,a dynamic development pattern of a "point -axisplane" is constructing,dividing tourism resources into one distribution hub,namely,Bole Cultural Leisure Center,two development axes,namely,Dzungarian Alatau Eco-tour Axis and Ebinur Lake-Alataw Pass Border Experiencing Axis,and three potential development region,namely,Alataw Pass Border Experiencing Scenic Spot,Sayram Lake Hotspring Nourishing and Sightseeing Scenic Spot and Ebinur Lake Desert Exploration Scenic Spot[6].

Bole is oriented by tourism distribution center,for it is the first station for tourists to take planes or trains to Bortala[7].With Bole as a center,it takes almost two hours to different counties or cities.Hence,it is an optimal choice for tourists to change trains,relax or enjoy entertainment.

According to tourism resources distribution and traffic lines in Bortala,two tourism development axes were classified in the research,including Dzungarian Alatau Eco-tour Sightseeing Axis and Ebinur Lake-Alataw Pass Border Experiencing Axis[8].Specifically,the former axis is mainly along provincial road 304,distributing nearby Dzungarian Alatau,which account for a high proportion of Bortala tourism resources,such as Aerxiati,and Bogedaer,with concentrated resources and convenient transportation.For the latter,the axis relies on provincial roads 305 and 205,connecting national road 312 to the south,and bordering Alataw Pass to the north,along which Ebinur Lake,Ganjiahu Baisuosuo Natural Reserve and Alataw Pass are distributed.

Alataw Pass Border Experiencing Scenic Spot,depending on Alataw Pass,provides a chance for tourists to enjoy national solemnity and the mystery in walking along national border[9].With consideration of policies,some scenic spots of Alataw Pass are not accessible to the public,and tourists are only allowed to watch beyond warning line,reducing the experience of tourists.Hence,Alataw Pass enjoys large development potential.

Sayram Lake Hotspring Nourishing and Sightseeing Scenic Spot,centered by Sayram Lake and characterized by hotspring,covers the tourism regions of the whole Wenquan County.And tourists could return to Wenquan County to enjoy themselves after traveling in Sayram Lakes.It is a key growth point for Bortala tourism development,and it is applying for grade AAAAAscenic spot[10].What’s more,hot springs develop in a diversified way.For example,volcanic mud-oriented masks are producing.The integration of Sayram Laske and Wenquan County would be a leading product of Bortala tourism.

Ebinur Lake Desert Exploration Scenic Spot is located in the east of Bortala,and a mature tourism chain is not formed yet and related scenic spots are not exploited.It is an emerging field.Ebinur Lake Wetlands are close to Ganjiahu Baisuosuo Natural Reserve,which lays foundation for desert exploitation,supplemented by nearby desert landscapes.In future,Ebinur Lake Desert Exploration Scenic Spot would play a key role for local tourism[11].

Conclusions

Social and economy development is not so coordinated,as well as culture in ethnic minority areas in the borderlands,under influence of natural condition,politics,economy,religion,and nationality[12].Consequently,with abundant tourism resources,tourism incomes are not so high,making little contribution to local economy.Bortala is a northwestern ethnic-group dominated region,and Alataw Pass is an important port for China to open to the west.Hence,it is necessary to establish consciousness of core competitiveness to further improve tourism infrastructure and intensify transportation accessibility,integrating dispersed tourism resources through spatial distribution,on basis of development experience of inland tourism industry[13].

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