It is difficult to build an escalator on the mountain, the price is expensive, the construction period is long, and the maintenance in the later stage of the sun and rain is troublesome, laborious and costly, but the economic benefits are considerable.
"Taking the escalator up the mountain is actually not new, the noun coined by netizens is relatively fresh and interesting, called 'painless climbing'." Zheng Yuan, the relevant person in charge of Hangzhou Chun'an Tianyu Scenic Area, said.
Some time ago, the mountaineering video taken by netizens on Tianyu Mountain became popular. In the video, tourists take the escalator up the mountain while enjoying the beautiful scenery, the so-called "painless" is to achieve the purpose of climbing the mountain without exerting physical strength. Many scenic spots in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provide escalator service up the mountain, and the tourists who have experienced it describe that the mountain has not been climbed in one step, and the scenery does not fall.
However, the difficulty of building an escalator on the mountain can be imagined, and the price is quite expensive, the construction period of the escalator is more than 2 years long, and the escalator is exposed to the sun and rain in the mountain all day long, and the later maintenance is troublesome, laborious and costly. What are these scenic maps?
The escalator built in Tianyu Scenic Area.
The cost is expensive, and the economic benefits are even more considerable
Escalators up the hill cost a lot.
Taizhou Xianju Shenxian Residence Scenic Area also sets up a "South Sky Ladder" that can climb the mountain. At the end of 2017, the scenic spot began to plan the construction of escalators, and in October 2020, the "South Sky Ladder" was officially opened to the public, with a total length of 104 meters and a lifting height of 52 meters. Gu Qiaolu, the relevant person in charge of the scenic spot, calculated the account for the reporter, "The construction investment is about 20 million yuan, and more than 1 million yuan will be invested every year in the later operation." ”
In 2021, the construction of the escalator in Tianyu Scenic Area started and was put into use in October 2022, with a total investment of more than 10 million yuan, of which the longest escalator has a lifting height of 42 meters. Zheng Yuan introduced that the escalators in Tianyu Scenic Area are divided into 3 sections and 4 platforms, and staff are arranged at each escalator entrance to carry out crowd guidance and order management to respond to emergencies; After the scenic spot is closed, the staff will carry out daily routine maintenance; In addition, every half month, the elevator company will send a special person to conduct a comprehensive inspection. The electricity cost of elevator operation, the extra labor cost, the elevator replacement and supplementary parts cost, etc., each is a large expense.
If you want to achieve "painless climbing", the cost is high. However, there are many scenic spots that you want to try. "I have handled about 15 well-known projects, and many people in charge of scenic spots have come to us to design escalator plans." Qin Chengsong, the relevant person in charge of Jiangsu Wujiang Canny Elevator, said that the "South Sky Ladder" in the Shenxian Ju Scenic Area and the "42-meter Super Escalator" in the Tianyu Scenic Area are both classic projects of the company.
Zhejiang Taizhou Shenxian Ju up the mountain escalator.
The investment in the early stage of construction is large, and the later maintenance is also troublesome, why is the scenic spot tired? The reason is that after the escalator is built, the economic benefits brought to the scenic spot are considerable.
The Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province is the first project that Qin Chengsong took over. It was planned and designed in 2011 and put into operation in 2014. Before the construction of the escalator, most tourists relied on the ropeway to go up the mountain, and the observation deck on the top of the mountain was small and could not carry too many people at the same time, so they had to wait in line for an hour or two during the peak tourist season. In addition, the altitude of Tianmen Mountain is more than 1,000 meters, every year in November, the snow and ice on the mountain, the mountain road is dangerous, and the scenic spot will generally choose to close its door.
The construction of escalators solves two problems at the same time. There is no need to wait for the escalator, the flow of tourists is faster, Qin Chengsong said for example: "Fast in and out, it is equivalent to an increase in the turnover rate in the restaurant." "Go up the mountain through the escalator, no longer take the mountain road, tourists can also visit in winter, during the New Year, many local people choose to go up the mountain to pray for blessings, and the business hours of the scenic spot are adjusted to all year round.
The escalator has greatly increased the carrying capacity of tourists, and the income of the scenic spot has increased significantly. Before 2014, the annual turnover of Tianmen Mountain was about 250 million yuan, and after the escalator was put into use, the number of tourists doubled, and by 2019, the annual operating income reached 1.25 billion yuan.
Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area Sightseeing Escalator.
After that, all major scenic spots have seen profit margins.
In the Shenxian Residence Scenic Area, through the construction of the "South Sky Ladder", the scenic spot has been improved as a whole, with greater attraction and better experience. In 2017, the Shenxian Residence Scenic Area was expanded and improved, and it is planned to increase the number of tourist areas, enrich the tour routes, and provide tourists with more choices. However, the problem of traffic up the mountain in previously unopened areas is in front of us. "Now, enter from the south gate of the scenic spot, go up the mountain from the foot of the mountain, it is a cableway, the ropeway comes out and then connects the escalator, the escalator is free, you can get to the top of the mountain in 4 minutes, and you can also choose to take the mountaineering trail." Gu Qiaolu said that the area of the Shenxian Residence Scenic Area has reached 60 square kilometers, and the highest altitude is more than 900 meters.
In the Tianyu Scenic Area, although the altitude of Tianyu Mountain is only more than 350 meters, the mountain road is winding, the whole journey is about 3,000 meters, plus all the way uphill, even the best young people have to walk for 45 minutes. Previously, because of the inconvenience of going up the mountain, it once gave birth to the "scalper" industry, with private cars soliciting customers up the mountain, ranging from 50 yuan to 100 yuan per person; Later, in order to rectify the order, the scenic spot provided unified buses, but the capacity still could not meet the demand. After the escalator is built, the escalator ticket costs an additional 30 yuan per person, and it only takes 10 minutes to climb to the top of the mountain. "This summer, we have made statistics, 3,000 people go up the mountain, 2,800 will buy escalator tickets, during this time, the weather cools down, and the number of tourists willing to walk increases, but the ticket purchase rate of escalator tickets is still 70%." Zheng Yuan said.
42-meter super escalator in Hangzhou Chun'an Tianyu Scenic Area.
There are many restrictions on construction, and it is necessary to adapt measures to local conditions
However, not every scenic spot has the conditions to achieve "painless climbing".
The open-air escalator is built in the mountain, and it will withstand the sun and rain every day, which is very prone to problems such as damaged facilities and aging lines. "Under natural conditions, icing, fog, rain and other weather are common, and escalators need to be anti-rust, anti-corrosion, wind-proof, anti-sand and dust, and anti-lightning." Qin Cheng said a lot with a sigh of relief, "The site selection of the escalator construction is very particular, the terrain is relatively flat, the slope of the elevator is generally not more than 30 degrees, avoiding the loose structure of the plot, and the surrounding mountains are best able to form a certain protection for the escalator; In addition, the escalator itself will be equipped with a heating system, a defrosting system, a cooling system, etc., to make the escalator close to a constant temperature state through technical means. ”
Seeing the escalator built on the "cliff", many tourists are scared after seeing it. In fact, the technology of escalator construction has matured, and the general idea is to build a platform on the rock mass and then install the elevator. The hardest part in the middle is the transportation of materials. Escalators are built on the mountain, often not yet developed and mature, first the construction materials are transported by road to the foot of the mountain, and then transferred to the mountain road to transport up the mountain, until there is no road, the ropeway "leisurely" past, and the plank road is pushed over. When the conditions are really difficult, they can only rely on workers to carry them hand in hand and shoulder and climb the mountain for transportation.
Overlook the escalator at the top of the mountain in Tianyu Scenic Area.
Environmental issues are also important considerations. "All materials in the construction of escalators must be environmentally certified, the surface is harmless, and the oil in the maintenance project must also be specially recycled." Qin Chengsong said that the policy requirements for the environmental impact assessment of the construction of scenic spots are very high, and the escalator can not affect the consistency of the visual effect, and the construction process should also pay attention to ecological protection. ”
What's more, it is still unknown whether the construction costs invested will be recovered. The Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area in Zhangjiajie and the Tianyu Scenic Area in Qiandao Lake are both tourist destinations with their own traffic, with a good reputation and relatively mature tourism development; After the escalator is completed, the traffic conditions are improved, the tourist carrying capacity is expanded, and the profit is quite promising after a period of time, and it is naturally worth the money. If the number of tourists is already very small in the scenic spot, if you want to use "painless climbing" as a gimmick to increase the selling point of the scenic spot, the gain may outweigh the loss.
"Adapting measures to local conditions and time conditions is the focus of our escalator design scheme, and it is also the key to the escalator's ability to play a role." Qin Chengsong said. (Shangguan News)