SHANGHAI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's Shanghai, an economic powerhouse and also a popular tourist destination, is seeing a boom in cultural and tourism consumption following the launch of a tourism festival ahead of this year's week-long National Day holiday, also known as "golden week," which started on Oct. 1.

From dazzling parades to exciting cultural exhibitions, the 35th Shanghai Tourism Festival dropped its curtain on Sunday, having created an unforgettable experience for both residents and travelers from around the world.

This year's festival, which opened on Sept. 14, generated total tourism consumption of 92.4 billion yuan (about 13 billion U.S. dollars), a 4.2-percent increase compared to the previous festival. The occupancy rate of hotel rooms in Shanghai during this period was 61 percent -- 2 percentage points higher than during the previous edition, data from the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism shows.

Notably, the "Great Art of Dunhuang" exhibition, which started during the festival and will run through December, features 168 sets of the most representative and rare artworks from the Dunhuang Academy collection. Since its launch on Sept. 20, this exhibition has attracted more than 40,000 domestic and international visitors, with over 200,000 tickets sold. Many young tourists came to the exhibition in traditional Chinese Hanfu clothing.

Overseas performance teams also returned after a five-year hiatus at this year's festival, appearing in the opening parade and various celebration activities. Philipp Betschart, a performer from Switzerland, was fully immersed in the charm of the "China Travel" fiesta. Lauding China's expanding visa-free policy, he said it has allowed foreign performers more time for both rehearsals and sightseeing.

Betschart and his team were deeply impressed by the historical buildings of the Bund in Shanghai and the Zhujiajiao ancient town, while they fell in love with delicacies such as Xiaolongbao (or steamed soup dumplings).

During the festival, authorities in the city's 16 districts have taken advantage of their unique resources and organized a variety of festive events, turning Shanghai into a vast "urban theme park."

"We will foster more innovative scenarios, business models and formats that synergize culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibitions, aiming to enhance the quality of urban tourism in Shanghai and draw more visitors from home and abroad," noted an official with the municipal administration of culture and tourism. Enditem

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