At the event. (Photo/Kuang Ying, People's Daily)

The "Nihao! China" Asian Tour Operators' China Trip · Changsha Event was launched on August 23. The event was hosted by the Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and organized by the Changsha Municipal Bureau of Culture, Tourism, Radio, and Television and the Trip Group. Nearly 40 representatives of Asian tour operators from 10 countries, including Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, came to Changsha for a 3-day inspection tour.

An exhibition and interaction area featuring Changsha's intangible cultural heritage was carefully arranged for the event. Asian tour operators were shown demonstrations of traditional skills such as Hunan embroidery, ceramic-firing at the Changsha Tongguan Kiln, ramie cloth-weaving from Liuyang, and Changsha nut-carving. Through visiting exhibitions and interactive activities, the guests experienced the unique charm and fun of Changsha's intangible cultural heritage in an all-round and multifaceted manner.

"This event has built a bridge of communication and cooperation among tourism industry specialists in Malaysia and Changsha," said Goh Hock Gin, chairman of the MATTA Malaka Chapter and managing director of the Bel Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd. He highly praised the charm of Changsha and expressed his hope to further strengthen communication and expand cooperation through this event to jointly promote the prosperity of the tourism industry.

Leo Zhang, vice president of the Trip Group and general manager of the group's Department of Government-Cooperation, said that the group will rely on its industry advantages and will cooperate closely with Asian tour operators to attract tourists for Changsha's cultural tourism industry, creating customized tourism products, and showing the unique charm and cultural vitality of Changsha to the world.

During the event, a page themed "Happy Changsha, Charming Star City" in both English and Chinese was launched simultaneously on the Trip APP and the English site of the Trip Group. The page fully demonstrated Changsha's rich tourism resources and unique charm to tourists from all over the world, and sincerely invited them to embark on a wonderful tour of Changsha.

Thanks to China's optimized entry policies, the number of tourist visits to Changsha and the tourism revenue in the city in the first half of 2024 increased 15.99% and 18.71% respectively compared to the same period last year. Through the "Nihao! China" Event, Changsha has actively expanded the Asian market, using cultural tourism as a bridge to promote economic cooperation and attract more international tourists to savor the city's unique charm.