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| Hua Jianhui, vice governor of Anhui provincial people's government, addresses the 2010 Anhui Tourism Promotion Conference in Hong Kong on Oct 25 |
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| The signing ceremony of the 2010 Framework Agreement on Cooperation Between the Anhui Provincial Tourism Administration and the China Tourism Association of Hong Kong |
Inviting more Hong Kong tourists to Anhui province was the focus of the 2010 Anhui Tourism Promotion Conference held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Hotel on Oct 25.
The conference was attended by Hua Jianhui, vice governor of Anhui s municipal government, and Dong Yaozhong, director general of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong. The conference was co-sponsored by the Anhui Provincial People's Government and the provincial tourism administration to promote Anhui's culture and abundant tourism products to Hong Kong people.
Hua Jianhui, vice governor of Anhui province, addressed the event and welcomed the presence of participants and the media. She said Hong Kong was an important transit hub for in-bound international tourists. Anhui province welcomed more than 214,000 Hong Kong tourists from January to September, an increase of 36 percent over the same period in 2009.
The vice governor said that Anhui can make good use of its tourism resources and provincial characteristics. Located in the Yangtze River Delta tourism region, Anhui also enjoys a unique geographic advantage. Anhui's tourism industry is making continual improvements over the past years, including the optimization of the province's comprehensive public transportation system, she said, adding that Anhui is heading for a golden era of tourism.
She also invited Hong Kong residents to learn more about Anhui's culture, seek investment opportunities and enjoy the province s abundant tourism resources.
The conference was part of a series of economic and trade activities between Anhui province and Hong Kong.
Chen Lizhi, secretary general of the China Tourism Association of Hong Kong, said that Hong Kong and Anhui province have deep ties in the tourism industry. The China Tourism Association of Hong Kong began to promote Huangshan Mountain scenic area of Anhui province to Hong Kong residents 20 years ago, Chen said.
Hong Kong and Anhui province, and the city of Huangshan in particular, have enjoyed more frequent and closer communications in recent years. In 2009, Hong Kong held the launch ceremony for its mainland tourism promotion campaign in Huangshan and launched a series of theme trips to Huangshan Mountain in 2010. The China Tourism Association of Hong Kong even outsourced services to many tourism groups heading for the Shanghai 2010 Expo to the association's Huangshan branch.
Chen said transportation limitations posed some obstacles for further cooperation between the island city and the mainland province. However, with non-stop flights from Huangshan to Hong Kong to begin operating by the end of this year, there will be fewer obstacles, Chen said.
Xin Congjin, director of the board and deputy manager of the China Tourism Association of Hong Kong, said that Anhui is home to great cultural and historical resources. He suggested introducing famous historical spots in Anhui to Hong Kong teenagers to let them gain a better knowledge of the mainland while enjoying sight-seeing trips.
Hu Xuefan, director of the Anhui Provincial Tourism Administration, described typical Anhui-style tourism resources, various folk customs, convenient public transportation resources and information about Anhui history.
Hu said Anhui s capacity will increase with the construction and improvements of infrastructure projects such as airports, high-speed railways and highways.
The close of the Shanghai 2010 World Expo will give Anhui s tourism industry an opportunity to promote itself to the foreign tourism markets, including Southeast Asia , Europe and North America. The province will also produce high-end resort and travel publications to attract overseas visitors in the ongoing effort to boost tourism revenues.
Dong Yaozhong, director general of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong and an expert in the tourism industry, also attended the promotional conference.
At the conference, the Anhui provincial tourism administration and the China Tourism Association of Hong Kong signed a 2010 Framework Agreement on Cooperation Between the Anhui Provincial Tourism Bureau and the China Tourism Association of Hong Kong .
The Anhui delegation also presented several famous Anhui folk plays from the Huangmei opera and demonstrated crafts such as paper cutting. The delegation Huagudeng, an oriental ballet originating in the era of the Song Dynasty (970-1279). The performance is a combination of dance, songs and drama accompanied by gongs and drums.
Zhang Xuepng, deputy director of the Anhui provincial tourism administration, said that Anhui will hasten work on its infrastructure projects and also promote new regulations for the tourism industry to build a cleaner and safer tourism environment.
The conference was also attended by representatives of the Hong Kong office of the China National Tourism Administration and Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, as well as Hong Kong tourism merchants and investors, and officials from the Anhui municipal government and staff members from the province's scenic areas.
Media representatives from Anhui province attended the event, as well as representatives from Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao, Wen Wei Po, Hong Kong TV, Hong Kong Commercial Daily, Ming Pao newspaper, China Daily, Sing Tao Daily, Asia Television and Phoenix TV.
