Net a passport for holiday in beautiful Xuyi
Xuyi, a county in neighboring Jiangsu Province, is preparing for its annual international crayfish festival, and is distributing 10,000 "tourism passports" to Shanghai residents over the weekend.
The county is cooking up a feast of the mouth-watering delicacy as well as presenting its beautiful scenery and great discounts at the city square of the Oriental Pearl TV Towel in the Pudong New Area over the weekend.
Crayfish fishing for the 23rd Xuyi International Crayfish Festival began on Saturday and the festival is scheduled to kick off in May and run through August, the county's cultural and tourism authorities announced in Shanghai.
Xuyi is the birthplace of the famous crayfish dish shisanxiang, crayfish seasoned with 13 spices, which is now popular across the country.
The festival will feature crayfish banquets, fishing events, and tours.
The "tourism passport" enables holders to enjoy free admission to tourist attractions across Xuyi, as well as discounts at some accommodation and shopping venues.
Xuyi is home to an array of attractions such as Tieshan Temple National Forest Park, Tianquan Lake tourist resort and different museums.
In total, 100,000 "tourism passports" are being distributed in 10 cities such as Nanjing, Zhenjiang, Suzhou and Hangzhou in the Yangtze River Delta region, with Shanghai the third leg.
The combined discounts of the "tourism passports" are valued at about 300 million yuan.
"We aim to spur cultural and tourism consumption enthusiasm and boost market confidence by distributing 'tourism passports,' thus speed up cultural and tourism recovery," said Deng Yong, Party secretary of Xuyi County.