DAILY Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Expo special 7 Leshan hosts international travel expo Focus on trade, opening-up and Silk Road cooperation

By ZHANG ZHAO ars from home and abroad, [email protected] as well as entrepreneurs involved in the business. Exhibitors from more than The themes of the forum 40 countries and regions and its sub-forums included were in Leshan in integration of culture and province on Friday for the tourism, the development of second Sichuan International tourism in Sichuan’s moun- Travel Expo, one of the prov- tainous areas and the sus- ince’s most important tour- tainable development of ism events and one of three tourism. Experts and indus- themed expos by the Sichuan try insiders shared ideas on provincial Party committee the latest business trends at and government. the forums. After the first travel expo A number of research in September 2014, the Sich- results and reports were uan government designated released, including China’s Emeishan, a region in Leshan Most Beautiful Landscape city, as the event’s permanent Avenue 318/317: Report on site. Development of Sichuan and Echoing the nation’s Belt Tibet as World Tourism Des- and Road Initiative, the expo tinations, by the UNWTO; this year, lasting through to and the Report on Mountain Wednesday, focused on the Tourism Development — Tak- theme of “tourism and trade, ing Sichuan as an Example, opening-up and cooperation The scene of the Sichuan International Travel Expo Center, where the travel expo is being held from last Friday to Wednesday in Leshan. CHEN XIAOYIN FOR CHINA DAILY by the PATA. — boosting the revitalization Delegates were also orga- of the Silk Road Economic nized to visit some of Sich- Belt”. uan’s best-known sites to find Sichuan Governor Wei out more about the province’s Hong said the provincial tourism industry. government attaches great There are exhibition areas importance to the develop- for counties and districts of ment of tourism. Leshan to showcase their “We see tourism as a most tourism highlights and local important industry,” Wei said. specialties. “We are building a world- Other activities were held class tourist destination cen- during the expo, including a tering on the provincial capi- Sichuan Food Carnival, the tal .” Leshan section of the Tour Zhang Tong, mayor of of China International Road Leshan, said the government Cycling Race, an annual Con- used its experience of last temporary Art Exhibition, the year’s expo to make improve- “ Cup” National ments in all areas “from form Painting and Calligraphy to content”. Exhibition and a series of With a goal to build a Left: The opening ceremony of the travel expo; center: Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan province, promotes its tourism resources at the expo; right: The 48-meter-high golden themed performances. tourism gala with global statue of Puxian on Emei Mountain, Leshan. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY The expo was open to the reputation and influence, the public from Sept 27 to 30. organizing committee made With smart travel high- efforts to build a platform for tourist destination with tour- partners. total value of more than 3.5 The province signed about was held as part of the expo, lighted in the expo, a section tourism products and servic- ism contributing more to the A buyer team of 18 domes- billion yuan ($548.5 million). 200 projects at last year’s inviting officials from the themed Internet Plus was es trade as well as industry city’s economy, according to tic and 411 overseas tourism Contracts worth more than expo, covering a wide range World Tourism Organization, set to display the results and exchange. the organizers, who added companies was matched by a 60 billion yuan were signed of sectors including tourism the Pacific Asia Travel Associ- development trends of the The city of Leshan is also that the expo allows inter- seller team of 419 companies for projects in Sichuan, infrastructure, cultural tour- ation and the United Nations “Internet plus tourism” mod- expected to gain competi- national exhibitors to show- from across the province, to including nearly 20 billion ism and hotels. World Travel and Tourism el. The event’s official website tiveness as an international case their products and find have “one-on-one” trade with yuan for projects in Leshan. The Emei Summit Forum Council, experts and schol- offers online tours of the expo. Sichuan province boasts world-class tourism resources

By LI YANG [email protected] 1.06 Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan prov- million ince, won the bid to host the 22nd General tourists from abroad visited Sichuan in the Assembly of the United Nations World first half of this year, up 15.5 percent year-on- Tourism Organization in 2017 at the orga- year and an 11 percent faster growth than the nization’s 21st general assembly in Medel- national average lin in Colombia on Sept 15. Li Shihong, vice-minister of the National Tourism Administration of China, submit- ted the Chinese government’s bid appli- cation to the assembly. Fu Yonglin, vice- mayor of Chengdu, made a presentation 307 on behalf of the bid city and showed a publicity video about Chengdu. The assem- billion yuan bly delegates unanimously passed the reso- tourist revenue in the first half of this year lution of granting Chengdu the host rights for the next meeting. Taleb Rafai, general upgrading of the industry,” said Wang. His secretary of the World Tourism Organiza- group plans to invest about 200 billion tion awarded the resolution book to Li yuan in tourism-related projects in the Jinzao, minister of the National Tourism The giant panda fans’ route from Europe to Sichuan province in China province. Administration of China, at the meeting. “Losing the opportunities in Sichuan The meeting is held every two years means losing the next 20 years (for inves- and was host in 2003. Chengdu tors),” said Wang during his visit to the will become the second city in China to province on April 24. host the event. On July 23, Sichuan government hosted Analysts said that the decision to hold the first China (Sichuan) International the world’s top tourism organization’s Tourism Investment Conference, themed general assembly in west China indicates “Invest in Sichuan, invest in the future”, the growing importance the international in Chengdu. Twelve cities and prefectures community is attaching to the fast devel- in Sichuan signed 20 cooperation agree- opment of the region. Successfully host- ments, worth 39.37 billion yuan in all, ing the event is of great importance to with a host of tourism agencies, banks Chengdu, and Sichuan province, in their and investment enterprises. pursuit of greater international influence, During his keynote speech at the con- stronger tourism economy and becoming ference opening ceremony, Sichuan Party a world tourist destination. chief Wang Dongming pointed out that In the first half of this year, Sichuan investment is still an important driv- welcomed 1.06 million tourists from ing force for boosting the growth of the abroad, up 15.5 percent year-on-year, an Chinese economy. Tourism is a promis- 11 percent faster growth rate than the Left: Panda admirers from Europe dance with the girls of the Yi ethnic group in Sichuan province; right: Panda fans from Europe take part in a ing sunrise industry, he said. Sichuan national average. driving tour from Europe to Sichuan province. They are seen here in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. has exceptional advantages in tourism In the past 10 months, panda lovers resources, so investing in the province, from six European countries of Britain, especially the tourism industry, is a prom- France, Germany, Belgium, Austria and and Europe, called the Southern Silk Road. and Xinhua News Agency, reported on the Sichuan’s rich tourism resources and ising investment option, he added. Spain traveled about 21,000 kilometers The National Tourism Administration event, which tries to send out the message robust tourism economy, which accounts Last year, Sichuan’s overall tourism across 13 countries on the Eurasian con- praised the activity as “an innovative that “Sichuan is more than pandas”. for about 8 percent of the province’s annu- revenue hit 489.1 billion yuan, up 26.1 tinent to reach Sichuan, the home of the trail of tourism promotion” as it uses During the tourism promotional activi- al gross domestic product, also attracts percent year-on-year. In the first half of giant panda. the ancient Silk Road to deepen mutual ties, travel agencies from Sichuan signed investors. Wang Jianlin, founder and this year, tourism revenue reached 307 The Sichuan government organized a understanding of different cultures. 10 cooperation agreements with counter- president of Wanda Group, is one of them. billion yuan, an increase of 28.6 percent. series of promotional activities about the More than 120 foreign media, including parts in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, “Sichuan’s annual personal average tour- China is now the world’s third-largest province’s tourism, culture and business Agence France Presse, the Daily Telegraph Greece, Turkey and India. The agreements ism revenue is only about 900 yuan ($150). tourist destination and national tourism along the international trade route con- and the Times, as well as 30 domestic are expected to bring about 40,000 for- There is great potential for Sichuan people accounted for more than 10 percent of necting Sichuan with Asia, the Middle East media outlets, including People’s Daily eign tourists in 210 groups to Sichuan. to enjoy more profit from tourism with the China’s GDP last year.