South China's Guangdong Province is attracting attention from
overseas and domestic partners in tourism after the successful
opening of the Guangdong International Tourism and Culture
Festival.
The festival, held in conjunction with the Pan-Pearl River Delta
Tourism Promotion Convention, opened last Friday.
Sister links with BC
British Columbia (BC) of Canada is one such partner of
Guangdong. Thanks to the establishment of sister links, BC will
deepen ties in the sectors of tourism, education and culture.
"Since almost half of Chinese tourists to foreign destinations
travel via Guangdong, we hope to strengthen exchange and
co-operation with the southern Chinese province to attract more
Chinese visitors to Canada," said Richard T. Lee, parliamentary
secretary for the Asia-Pacific Initiative under British Columbia of
Canada.
According to Lee, both tourism authorities in BC and Guangdong
are drawing up a series of measures to deepen tourism ties that are
expected to lead to "mutual benefits."
With an ancestral origin in Zhongshan of Guangdong Province, Lee
spoke highly of the rapid development his hometown had achieved
over the last two decades.
"Along both sides of the Pearl River, I see many advertising
boards promoting big international business names. This shows that
Guangzhou has become one of the important international business
and trade centres," Lee told China Daily while on a sight-seeing
boat on the Pearl River, which runs through Guangzhou, capital of
Guangdong Province.
Lee was on the boat, together with other foreign guests from
overseas sister-link cities of Guangzhou, to enjoy a stunning
fireworks show on the eve of the opening of the Guangdong
International Tourism and Culture Festival.
On board was also Gordon Campbell, premier of BC, who led a
delegation to the ongoing tourism gala, aiming to promote resources
of tourism, energy, education and culture in BC.
According to Campbell, a co-operative scheme on educational
exchange and co-operation was reached between BC and Guangdong on
Friday.
"We are working on detailed measures on higher learning
co-operation, as well as in sectors of tourism and culture, between
BC and Guangdong," Campbell said.
Campbell did not release details of the co-operative
projects.
"BC boasts a very good relationship with Guangdong. Besides
trade and economic co-operation, both sides are also working harder
to promote cultural, tourism and educational ties," he said in an
interview with China Daily.
BC became a sister city with Guangdong 11 years ago.
Variety of activities
According to Campbell, a direct flight between Guangzhou and
Vancouver is expected to be launched within a year.
During his stay in Guangzhou, Campbell also had a meeting with
top officials from China Southern Airlines based in Guangzhou.
"We have reached an agreement to open the direct flight, which
both sides believe will deepen business and tourism ties," Campbell
said.
According to Campbell, a special photo exhibition, featuring
charming landscapes of BC, is currently running in Guangzhou.
"The exhibition, displaying 130 photos by Canadian
photographers, is seen as an important bridge for Chinese people to
gain more knowledge of BC," Campbell said.
Last year, Guangdong organized a large photo exhibition in BC to
promote the southern Chinese province's tourism resources when
governor Huang Huahua led a business delegation to visit
Canada.
On Friday evening, a total of 20 art performers from BC,
including musician Ali Milner, a music band of the Higgins Family,
jointly presented a stunning show at the opening ceremony of the
Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival.
The six-day gala also witnessed attendance of representatives
from 10 overseas provinces and cities that have established links
with Guangdong.
On Saturday evening, another art show, performed by art troupes
from 10 overseas provinces and cities, was also held at the Sun
Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Guangzhou.
Besides art performances, the ongoing festival will also host
more than 80 activities, featuring promotion of tourism, culture
and food in Guangdong and the Pan-Pearl River Delta region.
One highlight is the Pan-Pearl River Delta Tourism Promotion
Convention, which has attracted a great number of governmental
tourism authorities and companies from the Pan-Pearl River Delta
area, including Hong Kong and Macao special administrative
regions.
Guangdong has so far signed a series of co-operation agreements
in tourism with members of the Pan-Pearl River Delta region.
At this year's fair, tourism authorities from nine members of
the Pan Pearl River Delta region will also sign detailed tourism
agreements, according to Zheng Tongyang, director of the Guangdong
Provincial Tourism Bureau.
Regional tourism zone
"Tourism companies from the region will also open discussions,
aiming to seek future co-operation at the fair," Zheng said.
For example, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, which
boarders Guangdong in the west, will work closer with Guangdong to
push forward the establishment of a regional tourism zone with
Guangdong.
The zone was initiated early in 2004 when a tourism exchange and
co-operation agreement was reached between Guangxi and
Guangdong.
Under the agreement, both sides will offer preferential policies
for tourism companies to open cross-regional businesses.
The zone was first launched within six major tourism cities in
Guangxi and Guangdong.
Zheng said that all cities within Guangxi and Guangdong would
join the regional tourism zone in the next few years.
"Hong Kong and Macao are also expected to join the regional
tourism zone," Zeng said.
(China Daily November 27, 2006)