Delta region cities offer travel incentives to Shanghai residents
A night scene of Huzhou in neighboring Zhejiang Province.
Huzhou's landscape features swathes of greenery throughout the valleys.
Tourism recovery in the Yangtze River Delta region is accelerating, with cities in the region luring Shanghai residents with preferential policies and tourism coupons to revitalize a sector badly hit by the COVID-19 resurgence.
The city of Huzhou, with a history of more than 2,300 years in neighboring Zhejiang Province, has released a number of initiatives targeting Shanghai tourists and travel operators. They include distributing tourism consumption coupons in Shanghai and a 10-million-yuan (US$1.49 million) subsidy for travel agencies organizing group tourists to Huzhou.
Some "tuanzhang," or group-buying coordinators, who dealt with neighbors' needs during the lockdown in Shanghai, were appointed as tourism recommenders for Huzhou on Thursday. They are being encouraged to promote the city's beauty, delicacies and unique culture to Shanghai residents.
Huzhou is branded as the "capital of silk" and a fertile "land of fish and rice," and Deqing County in Huzhou is home to Moganshan, a 4A national tourist attraction and one of the country's top summer retreats that boasts nearly 800 minsu (Chinese version of B&B).
Anji County, famed for its mountain ranges covered with undulating bamboo forests, is also located in Huzhou.
Cultural and tourism authorities from Huzhou also released the city's new autumn tourism itineraries and highlights in Shanghai.
A tranquil scene in Huangshan
Huangshan promotes agricultural specialties in Shanghai.
Also, Huangshan City government brought several tourism packages to Shanghai on Friday with Sun Yong, mayor of Huangshan, delivering an invitation to Shanghai residents.
A new tourism route was unveiled in Shanghai.
It strings the Xixi South Ancient Village, the Xueyuda Tea Culture Museum, Tangmo scenic area, and Hongcun Village, home to a large number of well-preserved Huizhou-style villages in Huangshan.
"Huangshan boasts rich mountain and water resources and profound culture, making it one of the most appealing destinations for Shanghai residents," said Cheng Meihong, deputy director of Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.
"A variety of activities hosted by Huangshan have injected new impetus into the recovery of the cultural and tourism market. It is expected the two cities will enhance tourism exchange and promote the high-quality integration of the Yangtze River Delta region's cultural and tourism industry," Cheng added.
Cultural and tourism authorities from a large number of tourist destinations are distributing tourism consumption coupons to spur the recovery of the industry.
By the end of June, more than 20 provinces such as Yunnan, Guizhou, Hainan, Zhejiang and Hubei had distributed coupons worth about 1 billion yuan in Shanghai, covering hotels, tourist attraction admissions, and shopping.
Yunnan Province started issuing cultural and tourism coupons as early as late April. As a result, Lijiang, a popular destination in Yunnan, recorded 3.1 million visits in June, up 51.8 percent from a month earlier.
Some hotels and B&Bs in Dali have been fully booked since the summer vacation started, according to Shanghai-based online travel operator Trip.com.
