Tourism industry expo goes far beyond tourism
Shot by Dong Jun. Reported by Hu Min. Subtitles by Hu Min.
Whether you are searching for a glass of fine wine, a cup of aromatic coffee, or reliable business partners and prominent business opportunities, 2023 Tourism Plus Shanghai, a comprehensive tourism industry expo, is the right place to go.
The second phase of 2023 Tourism Plus Shanghai, a comprehensive tourism industry expo, raises its curtain at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Qingpu District on Monday, amid the robust recovery of the cultural and tourism industry. It will wow visitors with a slew of activities from food and coffee festivals to lifestyle shows and displays of intangible cultural heritage items.
More than 3,000 exhibitors has brought over 150,000 exhibits to the four-day event, which is estimated to welcome 250,000 visitors to its 15 pavilions.
About 250,000 visitors are expected to attend the expo.
Strong boost to high-quality development and consumption market
Tourism Plus Shanghai is a grand tourism industry event combining tourism products, hotel and commercial spaces, tourism facilities, catering facilities and food culture, transportation and outdoor activities, international competitions and forums.
It covers every aspect of the tourism industry chain and is a more than a tourism event, empowering the robust development of not only the tourism industry, but also radiating out to catering, sports, shopping and entertainment fields.
It will boost consumption and power industry investment and innovation, promoting the in-depth integration and innovation of the cultural and tourism industry, officials noted.
"The expo, with an expansion and upgrade this year, is expected to serve as an 'accelerator' of the high-quality development of cultural and tourism industry, an 'incubator' of new types of consumption scenes, a 'catalytic converter' of business opportunities and an 'ignitor' of the consumption market, boosting confidence and the development of the industry," said Fang Shizhong, director general of the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.
Visitors can sample tea and coffee.
As the name Tourism-plus indicates, a cluster effect featuring the fusion of different industries is created at the expo, connecting tourism with catering, health and rural revitalization.
It's not the first time for Anouar Chetoui, chief representative of the Tunisian National Tourist Office in China, to attend the expo.
This time, the booth of the Tunisian office is even bigger.
"It is an important exhibition to us," he told Shanghai Daily.
"This event is a platform to connect people from the tourism industry and tourism is coming back," he said. "We see the smiles now so we are so happy.
"Tourism is recovering step by step, and we are optimistic about the full recovery of the market. We are here to work for the full recovery of the sector and to boost activities and connect."
"We will participate in more tourism exhibitions in China," he added.
The expo also offers a platform for exchange.
Diversified activities
An international coffee food culture festival during the expo will bring together more than 300 boutique cafes to showcase their products, inviting coffee lovers to share coffee culture together.
At the 2023 Hotelex Shanghai Coffee and Food Festival, people can also taste ice cream and chocolates and experience a coffee cultural lifestyle in the bazaar.
Different types of fine wine will be featured as well.
The Shanghai International Wine, Spirits and Food Culture Festival will present a banquet of wine and delicacies as part of the expo, tempting the taste buds of gourmets.
It is more than a tasting event, as businesses are able to explore the development of wine and catering industries, with potential cooperation opportunities expected.
The expo also provides an opportunity for networking.
An exhibition about the G318 National Highway, the first exhibition about highway culture in China, is also part of the showcase, as well as a riverfront lifestyle festival and rural tourism resource display areas.
A banquet will be cooked up with an exclusive area for precooked food such as dim-sum and other dishes, and the coffee and tea section invites people to sip a cup of tea or coffee, some of which are making their debut.
At the intangible cultural heritage experience exhibition area, about 20 intangible cultural heritage items such as haipai (Shanghai-style) jade carving technique and paper crafts are featured.
A total of 13 competitions and 38 forums will be held during the event.
Baristas will compete in coffee brewing and latte art competitions, and chefs will challenge each other's cooking skills in another competition.
Bread baking and ice cream making competitions will be held as well.
Bakery products will be on display.
Visitors can try different types of tea.
A huge range of coffee beverages will be available.
