Obvious improvements have been witnessed in the tourism market in Yunnan province since a vow two years ago to crack down on previous long-existing chaos, said Ruan Chengfa, a national-level lawmaker and the provincial governor.

Black-headed gulls at Dianchi Lake in Kunming city, Yunnan province. [Photo by Xu Guojian/chinadaily.com.cn]

Altogether 780 complaints regarding tourism issues in Yunnan were received by the Tourism Network Complaint and Reporting Platform last year, a drop of 53 percent year-on-year, moving the province’s ranking nationally from 21st to sixth in the previous year, Ruan said during the ongoing annual session of the national legislature in Beijing on Thursday. 

Police in the province investigated more than 3,500 cases related to unreasonably high prices from tourists, among which 14 were dealt with as criminal cases and 47 individuals were arrested, Ruan said.

Meanwhile, the province has been making efforts to introduce smart tourism, and one key approach was the introduction of the smartphone app “You Yunnan”, or travel in Yunnan, according to Ruan.

He said tourists can find official travel information for 330 scenic spots through the app, and more than 140 provide real-time online tour guides. Tourists can also check in at airports within the province through a facial recognition system in the app.