Tourists staying in hutongs, traditional Beijing courtyard neighborhoods, will be heavily promoted as the latest culture-related product by Dongcheng District.

Yang Yiwen, head of the Dongcheng government, said there are more than 400 hutongs and 340 traditional courtyard houses in the district -- half the total in Beijing.

Among them is Nanluoguxiang, one of the city's most popular hutongs, with its 742-year history. The hutong has been listed as one of the top 10 Asian cultural attractions by Time magazine.

"The number of foreign visitors to Nanluoguxiang is far higher than other traditional tourist sites in Beijing, especially at night," Yang said.

She said there are 15 five-star hotels and 14 four-star hotels in Dongcheng, but many travelers apparently prefer to stay in the courtyards to enjoy the traditional hutong culture.

"Rooms in the No.7 Courtyard of Nanluguxiang are always booked out by foreign visitors," she said.

The cost of staying in hutongs can range from just 400 yuan a night to 5,000 yuan.

At the top end, facilities match those found in five-star hotels and include ensuites, cable TV, room service and air conditioning. At the other end, guests may have to share toilet facilities, but will enjoy a traditional lifestyle, she said.

Yang said the government has spent 500 million yuan on updating infrastructure in hutongs.

"We want to ensure that courtyard houses keep their original appearance, but with upgraded interiors and new decorations," she said.

Yang said the recognition from Time had inspired the government to set traditional hutong accommodation as the symbol of Beijing's cultural tourism products.

Hutongs are different from other traditional tourist sites such as the Great Wall, as they were used only by local residents. But it is this original Oriental living style that attracts millions of foreign visitors, she said.

Besides Nanluoguxiang, other culture-related tourism products are also highlighted in the new Beijing tourism development strategy, including Guozijian, which used to be the imperial college, to promote Guoxue -- traditional classical Chinese culture and philosophy.

"We will arrange for tourism experts to evaluate all tourist sites to meet global expectations," she said.

However, international tourism experts suggest local governments should not standardize traditional courtyards, which will make them nothing different than accommodation elsewhere in the world.

Charles Petruccelli, president of Global Travel Services with American Express Co, said tourists looking for traditional products expect to experience them in their original form.

Petruccelli said the quality of tourism products is not about how expensive or modernized it is.

"The identity and diversity of Beijing's tourism products are the attractiveness of Beijing," he said.

(China Daily May 28, 2010)