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On the way to Black Sand Cave, Tai Man introduced to Manager Gao, who was responsible for tourism project development, "Manager Gao, I previously compared Black Sand Cave with the most famous cave in the country, and our Black Sand Cave's scenery is just as stunning."
"Director Lu showed me photos and videos of that cave, and the scenery is indeed breathtaking, which is why I decided to come for an on-site inspection," Manager Gao replied.
Manager Gao tentatively asked, "But if this cave is so great, why has it not been developed until now?"
Tai Man tactfully responded, "The cave is located in the mountains, far from the highway, and there’s a stretch of mountain road. To develop the cave into a tourist attraction, we must build a road, but our county government cannot afford that expense."
"So, you're saying that the cost of road construction needs to be included in the tourism project development budget," Manager Gao concluded.
Tai Man joked, "We could skip building the road; that way, tourists would have to hike a bit to see the beautiful scenery of the cave."
"County Chief Tai really knows how to joke," Manager Gao replied.
If this were done without prior notice, tourists might feel deceived, which would negatively impact the reputation. However, if it were stated that they would need to hike a mountain path, many potential visitors might reconsider their plans. Therefore, developing the cave requires road construction; it all comes down to whether this investment is worthwhile.
Yang Chen was responsible for driving the vehicle carrying Tai Man and Manager Gao. Instead of taking the route that passed by the abandoned coal mine as he had previously done with Tai Man, he chose a different path. This route wouldn't show any abandoned coal mines but required a longer hike once they reached the cave.
The vehicle stopped, and Yang Chen turned back to say, "County Chief, we need to walk from here."
"Manager Gao, let's get out; we can also enjoy the surrounding scenery," Tai Man suggested.
"Okay," Manager Gao agreed.
County Chief Tai and Manager Gao along with their group got out of the car and headed toward Black Sand Cave. The path was mostly uphill; although the incline wasn't steep, walking uphill was still quite exhausting.
Manager Gao panted as he walked and said, "No wonder it hasn't been developed yet; this isn't just about building a regular road; it requires constructing a stone staircase that extends upward!"
"Climbing stairs can be considered exercise," Tai Man remarked.
Manager Gao laughed and replied, "County Chief Tai, people come here to spend money on tourism, not for exercise."
"Tourists spend money for relaxation and visual enjoyment. If only one of those needs is met, it may lead some visitors to make other choices, significantly reducing our target audience," he added.
It took them twenty minutes to finally arrive at the entrance of the cave.
Wiping his sweat away, Manager Gao said, "County Chief Tai, to be honest, even if there’s beautiful scenery now, I’m not in the mood to appreciate it; I just want to find a place to sit and rest."
"We're already at the cave entrance; Manager Gao should go inside and take a look," Tai Man encouraged.
Yang Chen quickly handed over some water. "Manager Gao, have some water first. I assure you that once you enter the cave, you'll feel that this trek was worth it."
Manager Gao casually mentioned that since they were already at the cave entrance, there was no reason not to go in. After taking a sip of water and following Yang Chen's lead, the group entered the Cave.
The group was full of praise for the scenery inside the Cave, and their phones were constantly raised to capture the moment. Tai Man noticed the satisfied expressions on Manager Gao and the others and subtly signaled to Yang Chen, "This looks promising!"
However, after the tour, Manager Gao poured cold water on their enthusiasm. "County Chief Tai, the scenery inside the Cave is indeed beautiful and has exceeded my expectations. However, unless the county is willing to allocate funds for road construction, we will not consider development."
"Are you saying that even if the county is willing to fund road construction, you still might not proceed with development?" Yang Chen asked as he stepped forward.
Manager Gao nodded. "The scenery is good, but this mountain road is too long and steep, which can easily lead to a poor experience for visitors."
"If such a poor experience spreads, many tourists will be discouraged from coming, and any money we invest could go down the drain."
"County Chief Tai, is this the only mountain road leading to the Cave? Are there any smoother roads? Even if we have to build a few more kilometers, shortening the uphill stretch would be more suitable."
Tai Man hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yes, follow me."
The road Yang Chen had taken her on earlier was quite smooth, with only one steep uphill section. The group arrived at the mountain path previously traversed by Tai Man and Yang Chen and soon spotted an abandoned mining area.
Upon seeing the mining area, Manager Gao shook his head. "County Chief Tai, this isn't right. If we truly want to develop this site, we would conduct further investigations, including on-site assessments of the surrounding environment. Eventually, we would discover this large mining area."
"I understand; people come to see the Cave, and this does not affect their visit," Tai Man explained reluctantly.
Manager Gao shook his head again. "If what County Chief Tai said were true, you wouldn't have taken us on this detour."
"This road is quite smooth; we could drive to the foot of the mountain and then build an escalator at the steep part. However, the sight before us is quite distressing."
"Tourists who see such a scene might wonder if they are about to be sold into a coal mine."
Tai Man awkwardly forced a smile and blushed as she replied, "Manager Gao is joking."
As a county chief engaging in such petty tricks was truly embarrassing!
Manager Gao looked out over the seemingly endless abandoned coal mine and sighed. "What a pity!"
"County Chief Tai, I won't beat around the bush anymore; I'll speak frankly. The scenery at Black Sand Cave is indeed beautiful, but there are no supporting facilities around it, so the investment required will be substantial."
"But there’s only one attraction here—the Cave—which limits its appeal to tourists. Whether or not we can recoup our investment will be a challenge, especially considering we also need to spend money on road construction."
"And this abandoned coal mine will similarly affect visitor experiences; it might even make people want to turn back. Therefore, there's no need for us to discuss this further."
"I suggest County Chief Tai not bother looking for other companies either because no tourism development company would willingly throw money away like this. It might be better to leave it as a wild cave."
Manager Gao's words left Tai Man and Yang Chen feeling disheartened, especially Tai Man. Yang Chen was somewhat prepared for this, as previous tourism development companies had said similar things, but it was the first time Tai Man had heard such absolute statements from someone in the tourism development industry.
It seemed that this Cave truly held no development value, at least not from the perspective of the tourism development company. Manager Gao noticed Tai Man's disappointment and said, "I understand that County Chief Tai wants to leverage the Cave to attract outside tourists and boost Hualin's economy, but unless the government invests or someone is willing to undertake this project without expecting returns, no one will take it on."
"Then, from Manager Gao's professional viewpoint, how much investment would be needed to develop it?"
Manager Gao held up two fingers. "At least 200 million!"
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