There was a large open area behind the hall.
Qin Lin held a book, following its instructions as he cultivated Bougainvillea seedlings. He worked on a flowerpot, loosening the soil, transplanting a cutting, and filling it back in...
Beside him, Chen Dabe carried a watering can and watered the watermelon seeds.
"Boss, can these watermelon seeds really sprout? It's already winter." Chen Dabe was puzzled, but he still carried out the task the boss had assigned with great efficiency.
Qin Lin smiled without explaining. He planted a Bougainvillea cutting in the pot, then picked up the watering can beside him and watered it.
He had cut the stem from a seven-colored, symbiotic Bougainvillea produced by the game. Just like the Quality 2 watermelon seeds he'd planted, he wanted to see what would come of growing something from the game.
Just then, Gao Yaoyao hurried in, followed by two people.
When Gao Yaoyao saw Qin Lin, she quickly said, "Boss, these two say they're from the Tourism Bureau. They'd like to see you."
"Hello, I'm Chen Li, Director of the Tourism Bureau." As soon as he saw Qin Lin, Chen Li reached out to introduce himself.
"Director Chen, what brings you to our resort?" Qin Lin asked, surprised, as he shook the man's hand.
All his permits were in order. There shouldn't be any problems, right?
Chen Li smiled. "Boss Qin, we're just here to do some research and learn about how you manage the resort. You probably know that our county is working hard to develop a model zone integrating tourism across the whole region."
"I've heard a little about it." Qin Lin nodded.
He had studied tourism management, so naturally he knew about the tourism development in his hometown.
For the past few years, the county had been promoting the slogan "The scenic area is my home," encouraging the integration of tourism with the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries through "tourism plus" and "plus tourism." The goal was to boost the county's overall capacity for high-quality development and competition.
Simply put, tourism would attract visitors and spur business in other industries. That was why the county had invested heavily in tourism in recent years. Several temples in the county seat had undergone major construction to turn them into basic tourist attractions, and tourism development was underway everywhere.
The most famous attractions were Daxia Valley, the Xinghe Scenic Area, the Terraced Fields Scenic Area, and Zhu Zi Cultural Park.
There were many other attractions of various sizes in villages and towns throughout the county. Even a grove of Ginkgo Trees had been developed into a modestly famous attraction.
Over the past few years, the county's annual tourist numbers had soared from just over 700,000 to more than 7.5 million, and they were still rising.
Naturally, he'd also heard the rumors: besides promoting development, all this investment was partly driven by the possibility that the county might be promoted to city status, which could help resolve the awkward situation of low wages and high housing prices.
He didn't know how much truth there was to that. It wasn't something ordinary people needed to investigate.
Although Youcheng had the awkward combination of low wages and high housing prices, it also had plenty of advantages.
For one, it was known as a thousand-year-old county. It was also the home of kumquats, tea oil, and green bamboo, and it was part of the Central Soviet Area. It had all the necessary transport infrastructure, including a high-speed rail station and expressway entrances.
If they did a good job developing tourism across the whole region, it could definitely boost the economy and raise local incomes.
Take his resort, for example. Gao Yaoyao and the others had originally earned only 3,500 yuan a month. Now that business was booming, he'd naturally raised their wages. With their commissions on top, they were earning far more than before.
Only then did Qin Lin realize that his resort's sudden popularity had caught the county's attention. Yesterday, it had already come close to attracting a thousand visitors. At that rate, it could draw nearly 300,000 visitors a year.
That was already nearly two-thirds of Daxia Valley's daily visitor count, and the numbers would keep growing.
No wonder the county was taking notice.
He couldn't help rubbing his forehead. How had he forgotten about this? He'd even been fretting over all the paperwork for the rafting project.
He could apply for one of the tourism project support funds the county had set up in recent years.
With his visitor numbers, the county might even take the initiative to sort out his permits and draw up supporting plans for him.
For a first-time business owner, he'd really dropped the ball.
"Boss Qin, I just took a look around your resort. This sea of flowers could absolutely become a major attraction for Youcheng and draw in a lot of visitors," Chen Li said, offering a sincere compliment. Then he changed tack. "But your resort doesn't have enough facilities. A single sea of flowers won't spread out the crowds, and its capacity is limited. Have you thought about expanding your offerings?"
"I had a look just now. The resort covers 500 mu, and most of it is still undeveloped land. Have you considered adding another themed flower garden? There's also a river beside the resort, and you already have the visitors to support it. You could easily build a rafting attraction, something every scenic area should have."
Chen Li spoke with increasing urgency. The resort had already come close to a thousand visitors yesterday, and there would be even more today. If it could reach a steady two thousand visitors a day, it would attract around 750,000 visitors a year.
Most importantly, the resort was only thirty minutes from the county seat. That was an advantage no other attraction had.
Just think: 750,000 visitors. It would be a waste if they only looked at the flowers and left. But if the resort offered more activities, it would earn more and pay more in taxes.
After taking in the flowers and enjoying the rafting, the visitors would be there until dark. Wouldn't they stay the night? Wouldn't they eat, drink, and have fun in Youcheng? Imagine how much that would boost the economy.
They could squeeze every last bit of spending out of those tourists.
What worried them now was that the resort's popularity might fade.
When he got back, he'd have to hold a meeting at the bureau and think of ways to help keep the resort in the public eye.
This was a rare opportunity.
Qin Lin couldn't help admiring Chen Li. As you'd expect from the head of the Tourism Bureau, he had a sharp eye.
And now that he'd thought it over, he had a good idea what Chen Li was after. The resort's success seemed likely to bring him some unexpected benefits.
Chen Li took out a document and handed it to Qin Lin. "Boss Qin, take a look at this. If you want to expand the resort, the county can provide an interest-free tourism support fund or a tourism subsidy to help with the expansion."
Qin Lin had already guessed as much. But the tourism support fund and the tourism subsidy were different. One had to be repaid, while the other didn't, and the amounts also varied.
The tourism support fund provided loans or equity investments to the tourism industry, though direct investment was relatively uncommon.
In simple terms, the government lent you the money, and you had to pay it back. If the funding came as an equity investment, you wouldn't have to repay it, but you'd give up some control.
Quite a few attractions in Youcheng had chosen this kind of support fund.
The tourism subsidy, on the other hand, provided non-repayable assistance to the tourism industry, usually through fiscal allocations, interest subsidies, or tax rebates.
The amounts were smaller, and the recipient had to undergo all kinds of government reviews. They might scrutinize the resort's income and taxes, as well as assess the value of the Bougainvillea in the flower garden.
Although it was non-repayable, Qin Lin obviously didn't dare accept it. He was afraid of being audited.
"Director Chen, if my resort qualifies, I'd like to apply for the interest-free tourism support fund." Qin Lin shared his thoughts. Although he'd have to repay it, he could feel at ease and get the money in hand first.
"Great!" Chen Li was pleased with his answer. He smiled and said, "I'll head back and hold a meeting with the county first. Once we've discussed the details, we can talk it over properly, Boss Qin."
"Sure. I'll wait for your good news, Director Chen." Qin Lin nodded with a smile. Government support would naturally come with certain requirements. They'd see how the negotiations went.
As for the permits and paperwork, he wouldn't have to worry about them. The Tourism Bureau would help him get them sorted out first.
After Chen Li left, Qin Lin was in high spirits. This really was an unexpected surprise.
Just then, a notification appeared in the game in his mind: [Xiangshui Tribute Rice is ripe!]
Qin Lin looked at the game's screen, controlled his Game Character to harvest the rice in the paddy, and stored it in the storage room.
Qin Lin drove to the warehouse and entered the game. The first thing he saw was the information:
[Xiangshui Tribute Rice: Quality 1 (100 jin)] [This is a specially cultivated variety of rice, extremely rare and rich in nutrients. Rich Nutrition +1, Taste +1, Fragrance +1, Deliciousness +1, Vitamin VPP Anti-Aging +1.] [Xiangshui Rice: Quality 2 (5 jin)] [This is a specially cultivated variety of rice, extremely rare and rich in nutrients. Rich Nutrition +2, Taste +2, Fragrance +2, Deliciousness +2, Vitamin VPP Anti-Aging +2.]
Vitamin VPP?
Anti-aging?
Before you continue