Zhao Dan, an official from Chayouhouqi Tourism Investment Company, located in Inner Mongolia's Wulanchabu (Ulanqab) city, said that tourism is a green, happy, wealth-generating, and promising industry.

She said that Chayouhouqi has thoroughly implemented the instructions of President Xi Jinping regarding the mutual promotion of ecological protection and ecological tourism development. 

"Adhering to the principle of integrating culture with tourism and highlighting culture through tourism, the region is pursuing a unique path of tourism development with Chinese characteristics," Zhao Dan added.

Relying on its advantages as the "Summer Resort Capital of the Chinese Grassland" and its distinctive volcanic resources, the entire banner is actively promoting all-for-one tourism and four-season tourism, achieving breakthroughs in building ecological security barriers, optimizing industrial structure, and facilitating rural revitalization.

To date, the region boasts one national 4A-level scenic spot and ten 2A-level scenic spots. It also has one "Beautiful and Leisure Village in China," one "National Characteristic Village," and one key rural tourism village in the autonomous region. Additionally, there are over ten tourist resources, including rock carvings and Kelimeng Ancient City.

In 2024, the entire region welcomed 4.468 million tourists, generating a tourism revenue of 3.73 billion yuan. This tourism industry benefited more than 3,000 farmers and herdsmen, provided over 5,000 jobs for local residents, increased average household income by 12,000 yuan, contributed to a 2 percentage point rise in GDP, and boosted the growth of retail, catering, and service industries by 9%. During the May Day holiday in 2025, the region hosted 190,300 tourists.

Currently, there are 67 merchants in the South Tourist Center, with an annual turnover of 5.04 million yuan. The center includes 31 merchants on the first floor and 36 on the second, offering various products such as agricultural and specialty products, cultural and creative items, and catering services. Notably, space suit rentals are popular; there are 10 rental merchants with 1,000 space suits, generating annual income of approximately 80,000 to 100,000 yuan.

Regarding overall planning and layout, professional companies have been commissioned to develop high-standard plans including the "Overall Tourism Development Plan," the "Homestay Industry Development Plan," and the "Inner Mongolia Wulanchabu National Geopark Plan." 
The region is creating a tourism development pattern centered around "one core, two lines, five towns, and one camp."

The "one core" is the Wulanhada Volcano Scenic Area, which covers 70 square kilometers and features eight volcanoes with diverse shapes. A 34-kilometer tourist special line has been constructed within this scenic area. The "two lines" refer to two tourist loops on the east and west sides of the volcanic core scenic area, connecting five characteristic towns—homestay, cheese, hot spring, star-gazing, and ice-snow—and a large self-driving campsite.

Significant investments have been made in ecological protection infrastructure, including the South and North Tourist Service Centers, ecological walkways, service stations, star-gazing camps, light shows, RV camps, volcanic hot spring pipelines, and smart tourism systems, totaling 550 million yuan.

An additional social investment of 1 billion yuan is underway to build two hot spring hotels, a business hotel, a commercial pedestrian street, a comprehensive service station, a volcanic museum, and a 7D cinema. Future projects include low-altitude flights, light-shadow shows, treasure hunts, and Mongolian-style gardens, added the official.

The Cheese Town, covering 130 mu, offers tourists the chance to experience traditional dairy production, purchase local handicrafts and agricultural products, and visit production workshops, blending agriculture, culture, and tourism.

The Homestay Town, located north of the volcano scenic area, is developing a homestay industry cluster. With 350 million yuan in social investment, over 20 villages around the volcano have established 134 characteristic homestays, including first- and third-class options. Supporting projects like the "Harmonious Village Cultural Entrepreneurship Park" and the "Rural Revitalization - Demonstration Homestay Village" are also underway.

Hot Spring Town, with a planned area of 455 mu, is designed to be a four-season tourist resort. The Star-gazing Town, near the volcanic scenic area, features open terrain and minimal light pollution, making it the closest star-gazing site to Beijing. Infrastructure includes the Star River Plan Camp and the Star Theater, which can host 300 people and feature light shows, real-scene star-gazing, dancing, and singing performances.

By integrating seven main attractions—volcano, grassland, cheese, homestay, star-gazing, hot spring, and ice-snow—the region promotes various tourism types such as weekend leisure, summer resorts, study tours, self-driving trips, winter ice-snow activities, and hot spring health-preservation tours, aiming to make Wulanhada Volcano a premier destination for all-season tourism at the national level.

In winter 2024, the region hosted the "Singing in Inner Mongolia - Singing at the Volcano, Igniting the Passion" winter tourism event, featuring performances like mass choirs, fireworks, intangible cultural heritage fire pot shows, electronic music festivals, and drone light shows. Approximately 193,000 tourists from Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and other areas participated, boosting local income by over 57.9 million yuan.