A new tourist distribution center is to be finished in the Changbai Mountain North Slope Scenic Area. [Photo/changbaishan.gov.cn]

The overall growth rate of fixed asset investment in the Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Zone is expected to reach more than 8 percent in 2021.

Statistics show that in the rest of this year the zone plans to carry out 58 key projects of more than 50 million yuan ($7.8 million), with a total investment of 17.1 billion yuan ($2.67 billion), of which 3.72 billion yuan ($58.14 million) are to be put into actual project construction this year.

As of the end of March, seven 50-million-yuan projects had resumed, with a total investment of 3.37 billion yuan ($52.67 million). It is estimated that in the first quarter, the total social investment in fixed assets in the region will be 313 million yuan ($48.92 million), a growth rate of 40 percent.

This year marks the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period. The Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Zone is therefore committed to speeding up the process of project construction and economic development.

The tourist distribution center of Changbai Mountain North Slope Scenic Area has a building area of 180,000 square meters. It is a tourist transfer center integrating interchange, leisure and entertainment. The designed maximum carrying capacity is 2,500 people per hour, which will effectively solve the problem of overcrowding at the tourist attraction during peak seasons.

In 2015, the tourist distribution center of Changbai Mountain West Slope Scenic Area opened, and its strengths have emerged after years of operation. In April 2020, construction of the new distribution center in the North Slope scenic area started with a total investment of 250 million yuan ($39.07 million). As of now, 90 percent of the project has been completed.

The long-awaited high-speed railway station of Changbai Mountain is under construction. [Photo/changbaishan.gov.cn]

Changbai Mountain has continued its efforts to improve transport services. The construction of a high-speed railway station is in full swing. Once completed, it will open up interaction channels between the Changbai Mountain area and its surrounding cities, and will further reduce the travel time between the area and other major tourist destinations in China.

A plane comes in at Baishan Changbaishan Airport. [Photo/changbaishan.gov.cn]

What's more, the reconstruction and expansion of Baishan Changbaishan Airport will help open the region wider to the international market. After completion, the airport will have a total area of 20,000 square meters and an annual tourist throughput of 1.8 million. It will become the largest regional airport in the province.

The project, 80 percent of which has been completed, continues to progress smoothly and will be officially put into use before the end of the year.