The Xiangbi Mountain is located at the confluence of Taohua and Lijiang rivers in Guilin and the mountain looks like an elephant drinking water by the river. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Xiangbi Mountain scenic area, a landmark riverside attraction in Guilin of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, will open for free for both domestic and overseas visitors starting from Jan 31, officials announced during a press conference on Jan 25.

Xiangbi Mountain is located at the confluence of Taohua and Lijiang rivers in Guilin and it looks like an elephant drinking water by the river. It was recognized as a symbol of Guilin in 1995 and the scenic area receives over 1 million tourists every year.

Jiang Chunhua, deputy mayor of Guilin, noted that Guilin will keep enhancing the construction of local scenic areas and upgrading their service capacities, striving to turn Xiangbi Mountain scenic area into a first choice for domestic tourists and to make more contributions to build Guilin into a world-class tourism city.

Considering the current COVID-19 pandemic, the Xiangbi Mountain scenic area now has suspended tourist group visits from provinces, autonomous regions, and cities with high-risk areas as well as from land border cities, except those connected with Hong Kong and Macao via checkpoints.

A performance staged near Xiangbi Mountain at night to showcase the scenic area's charm. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Visitors will have to log in to the official website with their real names and make reservations 24 hours before the visit. 

Wang Zixi, head of the Guilin bureau of culture, radio, film, television, and tourism, said that the new measure is both a challenge and an impetus for the scenic area as it will have to maintain high-standard management without incomes from tickets.

Wang noted that Guilin will launch a new water sightseeing route that connects Xiangbi Mountain and other scenic areas in the city allowing visitors to get a closer look at the city's charm. 

桂林象鼻山景区除夕起向国内外游客免费开放

1月25日，桂林象鼻山景区全面免费开放新闻发布会在广西桂林市召开，桂林市副市长蒋春华表示，桂林象鼻山景区将于2022年1月31日（除夕）开始全面向国内外游客免费开放。

象鼻山位于桂林市内桃花江与漓江汇流处，因山形酷似一匹在江边饮水的大象而得名。象鼻山充分展现出桂林山清水秀、洞奇石美的特点，于1995年被定为桂林的城徽标志。2013年起，象鼻山景区连续三年被评为中国最美赏月地，景区每年接待游客数百万人次。

蒋春华表示，桂林象鼻山景区全面免费开放后，桂林市将继续加强景区建设，不断提升景区服务能力，全力推动景区升级发展，力争将象鼻山景区打造成为全国首选的旅游目的地，助力桂林打造世界级旅游城市。

据了解，为做好2022年春节期间旅游疫情防控工作，对于旅游团队，象鼻山景区暂停接待自中高风险地区所在的省（区、市）、陆地边境口岸城市（与香港、澳门有口岸相连的除外）的跨省旅游团队。同时，对于自由行的游客，一是严格查验游客的“健康码、行程卡”，二是落实游客的体温检测工作。对于健康码异常、通行卡异常及发热等症状异常的游客，桂林市将按照桂林市疫情防控工作要求进行相应的健康管控。

为确保游客的游览安全，面对免费开放将带来的巨大客流量，象鼻山景区将采用“分时限量”免费预约入园的形式开放，免费不免票，一人一票。游客提前24小时实名制登录订票网址进行游览预约，景区定时实行限流、错峰，合理控制人流密度。

桂林市文化广电和旅游局局长王子西表示，对于象鼻山景区而言，没有了门票的依赖，又要保证景区的高水准常态化管理，这对景区本身既是一个挑战，也是彻底融入市场的一个激励和动力。桂林将需要对景区本身的文化和旅游底蕴进行再挖掘，促进游客的二次消费，线上线下双手抓。比如线下产品可以将象鼻山通过漓江市水上游与市内其他景点串连起来，设计“漓江微泛舟”水上—陆地动态游览线路，既可泛舟漓江，欣赏斑斓夜色，又可体验桂林市井生活。