Chongqing and Hubei join hands to build the Three Gorges Tourism Corridor

On November 8-9, a series of activities including the float exhibition, the World River Song Festival, the rotating chairman's meeting for tourism cooperation in the Three Gorges region between Chongqing and Hubei, and the Three Gorges Tourism Forum were held in Wanzhou District, Chongqing, opening the curtain for the 9th China Three Gorges International Tourism Festival.

Chongqing and Hubei have joined hands for nine consecutive years to jointly build the Three Gorges Golden Tourism Corridor. A total of 17 tourism projects were signed, with a total investment of 57.5 billion yuan. Among them, there are 14 signed projects in Chongqing with a total investment of 53.1 billion yuan; Hubei has signed three projects with a total investment of 4.4 billion yuan. Among the districts and counties in Chongqing, Wanzhou has signed two projects with a total investment of 12.86 billion yuan, promoting the Three Gorges tourism industry to constantly reach new heights.

Chongqing and Hubei are two major provinces and cities located on the golden tourism route of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River. After the Three Gorges Reservoir began to store 175 meters of water, some scenic spots in the Three Gorges were submerged, but it also gave rise to many new scenic spots, constantly enriching and improving the connotation of the Three Gorges tourism industry. This has transformed Three Gorges tourism from a single "sightseeing tour" in the past to a diversified tourism pattern of "vacation and leisure, cultural experience, ecological sightseeing" and so on. Before 2009, Chongqing and Hubei had their own independent activities and held the "China Chongqing Three Gorges International Tourism Festival" and "China Yichang Three Gorges International Tourism Festival" locally, but the results were not significant. Afterwards, in order to integrate tourism resources and optimize the golden tourism route of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, Chongqing and Hubei have determined the concept of cooperative and win-win tourism development under the background of the "Three Gorges Regional Tourism Development Plan".

In 2010, under the leadership of the former National Tourism Administration, Chongqing and Hubei provinces jointly hosted the "China Three Gorges International Tourism Festival", which was held annually by Chongqing and Hubei provinces in rotation. This move played a very important role in enhancing the brand influence of the Three Gorges at home and abroad, promoting the coordinated development of the Three Gorges regional economy and society, strengthening regional tourism cooperation between Chongqing and Hubei provinces, and promoting integration, exchange, and development with the world tourism industry.

Relying on tourism festivals, Chongqing and Hubei have conducted in-depth cooperation in resource sharing, project co construction, and tourist exchange in recent years, continuously enriching the connotation of tourism products in the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, improving service quality, enhancing brand awareness and reputation, and increasing tourism revenue. Last year alone, the Three Gorges region of the Yangtze River received a total of 190.496 million tourists and achieved a total tourism revenue of 142.39 billion yuan. From January to September this year, 165.254 million tourists have been received, achieving a total tourism revenue of 134.57 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of over 20%, effectively promoting the healthy economic and social development of the two regions and the prosperity of immigrants in the reservoir area.

The current tourism festival, with the theme of "Magnificent Yangtze River, Poetry and Painting of the Three Gorges", focuses on playing the "Three Gorges card" and singing the "Three Gorges opera" well, highlighting the "Three Gorges regional customs, culture and local characteristics", striving to create an upgraded version of the Three Gorges tourism industry and an internationally renowned tourist destination, strengthening international vision, focusing on regional integration, injecting cultural elements and the concept of "serving the people and benefiting the people". Since its launch in July this year, it has successively launched a series of major events such as the "China Baidicheng" International Poetry Festival, the Kaifeng Lake Motorcycle Boat Open, the World Dahe Song Festival, and the Wushan Red Leaf Festival, fully reflecting the internationalization, participation and sense of achievement of the tourism festival, attracting domestic and foreign tourists and travel merchants. Chinese and foreign guests, mainly from the society, come to the Three Gorges to participate in festivals, conferences, sightseeing tours, and leisure vacations.

Pan Yiqin, Deputy Mayor of Chongqing, stated that at a new starting point, Chongqing will firmly follow the path of ecological priority and green development, closely focusing on the goal of "building the Yangtze River Three Gorges Golden Tourism Belt", continuously strengthening deep cooperation with Hubei Province in tourism boutique cultivation, infrastructure construction, external tourism promotion, tourism market supervision, and other aspects, working together to create a comprehensive ecological tourism of the Yangtze River Three Gorges, and striving to build the Three Gorges into a world-renowned tourist destination.