Application scenario of characteristic low-altitude flight tourism routes in Taishun County.

Recently, the Department of Transport of Zhejiang Province unveiled the list of pilot projects for the “Pioneering Flight Zone” of the low-altitude economy in Zhejiang Province. Among the 11 selected projects—and the only one from Wenzhou—was a joint project by Wencheng and Taishun counties to establish a “Pioneering Flight Zone” for low-altitude economic development.

As typical mountainous counties in the southernmost part of Zhejiang Province, Wencheng and Taishun Counties have been designated as key counties in the province’s efforts to build a demonstration zone for achieving common prosperity through high-quality development. They also serve as a key growth engine in the western region of Wenzhou as part of the city’s “Stronger City Action” initiative. The two counties are jointly developing a pilot zone for the low-altitude economy in Zhejiang’s southern mountainous region, addressing the limitations of traditional transportation methods, a single tourism model, and outdated governance approaches. The project seeks to leverage the low-altitude economy to integrate transportation and tourism while exploring innovative governance solutions for remote mountain areas.

According to officials in charge of the project, it is imperative for these two counties to jointly build this pilot project for the low-altitude economy. As regional integration between Zhejiang Province and Fujian Province deepens, and the broader southern Zhejiang development strategy gains momentum, the rapid rise of the low-altitude economy presents a critical opportunity. Meanwhile, the two counties are located at the central node of the Southern Zhejiang, Northern Fujian, and Eastern Jiangxi regions, providing a solid foundation for a pilot project in the low-altitude economy for mountainous counties. In particular, the booming tourism industry in the two counties has brought about the demand for air travel and aerial sightseeing, as well as the urgent need for the low-altitude economy to empower forest fire prevention, emergency rescue, flood control and typhoon prevention, geological disaster prevention, and ecological patrol, highlighting the necessity of launching the pilot project.

As one of only three inter-county pilot projects jointly proposed in Zhejiang Province, the Wencheng-Taishun “Pioneering Flight Zone” project highlights the principles of coexistence, co-progress, and co-prosperity.

“Coexistence” reflects the two counties’ complementary strengths in developing the low-altitude economy, including advantages in airspace conditions, geographical positioning, natural environment, tourism resources, and market potential. “Co-progress” refers to their rapid advancement in infrastructure, industrial development, application scenarios, and resource support for the low-altitude economy. Moreover, in pursuit of “co-prosperity”, the two counties have formed a dedicated task force to advance the pilot project, positioning it as a catalyst for deeper regional integration in southern Zhejiang and a pilot zone for regional cooperation at the Zhejiang-Fujian border. The project is expected to drive coordinated planning for infrastructure, interconnected air routes, and shared talent development across the region.