On May 26, Chengdu hosted a forum on Bed and Breakfast in local tourism development.

A number of experts offered their views on the status quo of Chengdu’s B&B sector and its pain points in development. They often made suggestions to better run B&B.

Chengdu now has 2,532 B&Bs, of which 95.42 percent are poorly equipped.

Thirty years on since China’s first rural home inn appeared in Chengdu, Chengdu’s rural tourism has seen rapid development, attracting 95 million tourists in 2016 alone, taking up a considerable proportion of the total number of tourists to Chengdu, according to Zhu Dan, a professor from the Tourism Academy of Chengdu University.

However, rural tourism revenue is disproportionately low.

Zhu also drew a comparison between Chengdu and places in Europe and Asia where B&B thrives.

Zheng Jianxiong, a professor of leisure studies and tourism management from Taiwan, spoke about the influence of post-modern culture on B&B development in Taiwan.

Zheng, hailed as “father of rural tourism in Taiwan,” said that going by Taiwan’s experience in B&B development, B&Bs should avoid modern life elements in favor of simple and customized lodging which is also artistic and full of fun.

Zheng also said B&Bs should make use of nearby resources to achieve distinction.

Li Yunxia, a professor of tourism management from Yunnan University, said that B&Bs in China are almost identical in operation. By analyzing the business models of B&Bs in other countries, she pointed out a path of innovation for Chinese B&B owners.

Wang Tianpeng, founder of Howoolife, a B&B resort in Zhejiang’s Mogan Mountain, told how he has turned Howoo from a out-of-the-way village into an excellent B&B resort well known across China.

To Wang, B&B owners should innovate concepts about lifestyle and B&B spirit, integrate existing resources and deliver both certain feel and comfort.