Ruyi Square of Taishi Service Area, G75 Lanhai Expressway, Lintao county, Dingxi, Gansu province. [Photo provided to gogansu.com]

Gansu's first integrated tourist destination service area, "Taishi Service Area - Taohe Ruyi Bay," officially opened on April 30. This attraction combines a family park, a food street, Ruyi Camp, a peony garden, and water sports, making it a new highlight in the province's integration of transportation and tourism.

Taishi Service Area is located approximately 40 kilometers from Lanzhou and is the last stop on the G75 Lanhai Expressway for travelers coming from Sichuan, Linxia, and Gannan. It is the largest service area on the Gansu section of the expressway, handling an average daily traffic of about 25,000 vehicles, which can surge to around 50,000 during holiday peaks.

In September 2021, Gansu Xinfazhan Investment Group, under the Provincial Transportation Enterprises, invested 284 million yuan ($40 million) to initiate the "Taohe Ruyi Bay" project over an area of more than 16.67 acres. This project is among the first to be implemented as part of the province's strategy to create a roadside economy industry.

"Taohe Ruyi Bay" focuses on four core activities: children's play, water sports, vacations, and specialty tourism. The area features a combination of a family park, accommodation camp, gourmet entertainment, leisure meeting spaces, and commercial drivers, offering a new experience in leisure, shopping, sightseeing, and rest for travelers and drivers. It also adds a new tourist destination for the residents of Lanzhou and surrounding areas.

Gansu has been promoting the integrated development of transportation and tourism by implementing a series of combined projects in recent years. The official opening of "Taohe Ruyi Bay" at Taishi Service Area is set to significantly enrich the tourism offerings in Gansu and boost the growth of the integrated transport-tourism industry.