The combination of Suzhou's scenic beauty, coffee culture and ancient dwellings on Taihu Eco-Island in east China's Jiangsu Province has drawn crowds of visitors seeking a relaxing escape and the rich aroma of coffee.
A Taihu village coffee festival was held from Friday to Sunday. "I came from Shanghai, and I find the scenery here very pleasant. In the city, I usually drink coffee to stay awake, but today I'm here specifically for leisure and relaxation," said a visitor. According to local data, Taihu Eco-Island now hosts more than 70 local coffee brands. Last year, coffee sales topped 30 million yuan (around 4.39 million U.S. dollars). In the first quarter of this year alone, coffee sales nearly reached 7 million yuan (around 1.02 million U.S. dollars).
To capitalize on the trend, more cafés have begun offering seasonal specialty drinks inspired by local flavors such as Biluochun, one of the top tea varieties in China. At the same time, the annual village coffee festival draws hundreds of coffee brands from across the Yangtze River Delta to showcase their products.
The growing popularity of the village coffee festival is not only enriching visitors' experiences but also helping boost local economy. During the festival period, many rooms are fully booked.
"Around the time of the village coffee festival, we are basically fully booked. During the May Day holiday, more than 95 percent of our rooms have already been booked. Our room reservations are up by more than 10 percent compared with the same period last year," said Tang Zhihao, a homestay owner.
Coffee festival boosts rural tourism in China
