Heritage parks planned for Great Wall

Beijing will actively direct its efforts toward creating national parks along the Great Wall to highlight its tourism brand, according to authorities attending the 7th Beijing Tourism Development Forum on Nov 11.

The forum was jointly hosted by the Beijing Tourism Studies Association and Beijing Union University.

Public culture service systems, transportation and tourism facilities surrounding the Badaling, Mutianyu and Gubeikou sections of the Great Wall will be improved, says Song Yu, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development.

"The Great Wall is a very famous landmark and a major treasure for Beijing," Song says.

Sections of the Great Wall around Beijing run to roughly 630 kilometers, but only a small portion of them are in good condition and open to the public, says An Jinming, head of the Beijing Tourism Studies Association.

The goal is to develop a Great Wall heritage site that covers an area of 1,258 square kilometers, according to An.

Under the plan, scores of cultural villages along sections of the Great Wall will also be developed and protected.