A high-end Buddhism featured homestay in Jinshan town, Yuhang district, Hangzhou [Photo/chinanews.com.cn]

Endowed with cultural heritage and rich tourism resources, Hangzhou, the iconic city in East China's Zhejiang province, has proved to be a good example in boosting "all-for-one" tourism by tapping into the potential of characteristic towns, local media reported on Dec 21.

The idea of "all-for-one" tourism was first mentioned in the Government Work Report in 2017. The phrase proposes using tourism as a new engine for growth by focusing on upgrading and integrating tourist resources, public services and government regulations and policies to boost overall social development. 

A slew of characteristic towns with distinctive features, including Dream Town in Yuhang district and Jiande Aviation Town have not only formed a new landscape in Hangzhou's tourism industry, but also serve as a catalyst to rural revitalization.

Dream Town, a town transformed from an ancient block with a long history, is now an incubation center of makers. Since beginning operations in 2015, the town has endeavored to promote industrial development while protecting historic and cultural elements. Now, the town has become a hotbed for over 1,170 internet startups and 12,900 entrepreneurial talents.

"The ultimate goal of setting up a 4A-level tourist attraction is to meet the diversified needs of tourists and provide more featured products," said Cheng Xinghu, director of the Jiande Economic Development Zone (Jiande Aviation town) management committee, adding that the flourishing growth of tourists in Jiande Aviation Town lies in the introduction of various tourism modes.

According to authorities, a characteristic town is neither a town defined administratively nor an industrial zone, but is rather an area with specific industry orientations, cultural elements, tourism features and community functions.

Since its inception in August 2014, four groups of characteristic towns have been rolled out with over one hundred set up as platforms for industrial innovation in Zhejiang.