On October 14, the “Digital Mulan” Innkeeper Training Program was officially launched in Anji County, Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, focusing on empowering women in the hospitality industry.
The “Digital Mulan” initiative is a national public welfare project jointly launched by the Market Management Department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Zhejiang Ant Financial Public Welfare Foundation, and the China Rural Development Foundation. It primarily targets female innkeepers in rural areas, providing them with professional skills training and digital literacy. Since its inception at the end of 2021, the program has trained over 4,000 participants.
In 2022, a training base was established in Zhejiang, resulting in five training sessions so far, which have prepared 132 female innkeepers. The choice of Anji for the program’s launch is a testament to the achievements of rural tourism there and represents an important practice for the region’s youth-led cultural tourism initiatives.
Zhejiang has seen rapid development in the homestay sector, which has become a highlight of rural tourism. Anji has implemented several supportive policies, including financial subsidies for homestay construction, training support, digital management bonuses, and youth entrepreneurship grants, all aimed at improving the quality of homestays and promoting standardization, uniqueness, and branding in the industry.
“Anji boasts rich tourism resources, including natural landscapes like mountains and bamboo forests, as well as cultural heritage and traditional folk customs,” said Shen Xiaobo, a member of the Standing Committee of the Anji County Committee and the Minister of Publicity.
In recent years, Anji has been working to create a “high-level, modern, and international” rural tourism hub, experimenting with various development models such as the global partnership model in Dayu Village and the transformation of the agritourism cluster in Shiling Village. These beneficial explorations are enhancing rural capabilities and providing a new model for common prosperity and rural revitalization.
Li Xinfang, a member of the party leadership at the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism, remarked that the rapid development of rural tourism, led by the homestay industry, heavily relies on the contributions of women. He emphasized that this sector not only offers effective platforms for women to achieve economic independence but also encourages them to enhance their digital skills and embody the spirit of “Mulan.” “I hope that through personal growth, you can better yourselves and inspire more women to engage in the homestay industry,” he said.
During the launch event, distinguished guests presented the first batch of acceptance letters to aspiring innkeepers for the 2024 training program.
Additionally, the “Mulan Market” showcased the skills of Anji’s innkeepers along with a variety of bamboo-themed cultural products, promoting a shift towards green consumption by encouraging innkeepers to “replace plastic with bamboo,” while further integrating the local bamboo industry with tourism development.
