China's first Rural Tourism Festival opened?yesterday at
Jinjiang District of Chengdu, the capital city of southwest China's
Sichuan Province. The National Tourism
Administration has officially recognized the city as the "Cradle of
the Happy Rural Family." The festival will last until April 30,
which is also the prelude of the 2006 China?Domestic Travel
Mart.
Several top officials, including Vice Minister of National
Tourism Administration Sun Gang, Governor of Sichuan Province Zhang Zhongwei and Secretary of the Sichuan
Provincial Party Committee Zhang Xuezhong attended the opening
ceremony.
And an evening gala based on rural tourism is being held tonight
at the San Sheng Hua Xiang (literal translation -- "Three Saints'
Flowering Town"), a rural region which is highly developed. The
community only learned today that they had won the title of
National AAAA Top Grade Tourism Region in a National Tourism
Administration scheme.
Thanks to the successful "Happy Rural Family" tourism marketing,
San Sheng Hua Xiang has boosted its economy by making people aware
of the wonders of the region and attracting visitors. Visitors can
enjoy rural life, the landscape, folk arts and various leisure
pursuits.
The Festival is also a significant part of the rural tourism
industry in 2006. It plays a part in "China Rural Tourism Year"
which has been organized by National Tourism Administration and
launched on January 1, 2006.
The Festival is just the prelude to the 2006 China?Domestic
Travel Mart. A press conference was held at Chengdu municipal
government building on April 11 where top municipal officials
anticipated that China's first Rural Tourism Festival and annual
China?Domestic Travel Mart, which will open in the next two
days, will largely promote the city's tourist attractions and
image. He Huazhang, vice mayor of Chengdu, said it is a big chance
to identify the city as one of the best to visit in China.
The annual China?Domestic Travel Mart is the biggest of its
kind. It is expected to attract 10,000 representatives and visitors
from various organizations, agencies, government departments and
enterprises during the three day long exhibition from April
13-15.
It's the second time the Mart has been held in Chengdu -- the
last time was in 2001. Ge Honglin, mayor of Chengdu, hinted that
this was a good sign and sowed strong approval from all sides of
society.
Now Chengdu knew more about the outside world and it would love
to see the nation and the world come to know more about it, said
the mayor. "The cuisine, giant panda, our face-changing stunts and
many other unique attractions can be found in Sichuan and we want
the world to know about that and promote ourselves," Ge Honglin
said, "We want Chengdu to be a place where you never want to
leave."
(China.org.cn by staff reporter Zhang Rui, April 13, 2006)
