From August 23 to 26, the 13th Cultural Tourism Festival of Ningde World Geopark will be held in Zhouning County, Ningde City, Fujian Province. The aim of the festival is to provide impetus, bring people together and promote tourism in order to further stimulate the high-quality development of the cultural and tourism economy.
Lei Wen, deputy director of the Ningde Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau, said that after 12 years of development, the brand awareness and influence of the cultural tourism festival in Ningde World Geopark have continuously improved. It has become an important IP to showcase Ningde's cultural and tourism brand image, an important engine for promoting cultural and tourism consumption, and an important platform for expanding overseas exchanges.
The main activities of this year's cultural tourism festival include four major sections: the “Liyu Stream Night Tour” comprehensive experience and opening ceremony, a cultural and tourism investment promotion conference, the “Natural Air-Conditioning City · Cool Zhouning” lifestyle experience, and the Volcano Geopark exchange meeting. Through a series of diverse activities such as live tourism performances, street parades, investment promotion, cultural performances, academic exchanges, and special product exhibitions, the festival provides tourists with a feast of cultural and tourism experiences, creates new experiences in leisure, entertainment, and shopping, and provides new opportunities for cooperation and mutual benefit.
The event focuses on four major aspects. First, it will bring together experts and establish close contacts with expert organizations such as UNESCO Global Geoparks Council and National Geopark Network Office, as well as key industry organizations such as International Tourism Studies Association, China Tourism Association, China Photographers Association, China Artists Association, China Chamber of Tourism, Australia Fujian Entrepreneurs Association Inc. and New Zealand Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. Leading domestic cultural and tourism enterprises and OTA platforms such as China Tourism Group, Ctrip Group and ByteDance Group, as well as well-known cultural tourism bloggers and representatives of major travel agencies from source markets will gather in Zhouning, bringing together knowledge, experience and resource advantages of all parties. Second, it will launch new products. From the Cultural Tourism Festival to the National Day Golden Week, over 130 special themed activities will be organized to attract tourists and introduce them to the diverse beauty of Ningde. Third, it will showcase achievements. The signing ceremony will involve 16 key projects with a total investment of 1.288 billion yuan, covering areas such as scenic spot operation, cultural tourism complexes, study tours, health tourism and water sports. Fourth, it facilitates precise matchmaking by using this festival as an opportunity to have in-depth exchanges with leading enterprises, key investors and key travel agencies, and seek new breakthroughs in recruiting talent, attracting investment and market expansion.
Zhouning County, the host of this year's cultural tourism festival, is known as the “city in the clouds.” The county is located at an average altitude of 800 meters, 72.96% is covered by forest, and air quality consistently meets the national top standard. The average daily temperature in mid-summer is only 24°C. It has been rated as a national demonstration area for building ecological civilization, a Chinese natural oxygen bar, and a national summer tourism destination.
Within its boundaries lie Jiulong Waterfalls and Liyu Stream, which are a national scenic spot, a national AAAA-category tourist attraction and the core area of Ningde World Geopark. There are also four national AAA-category tourist attractions: Chenqiao, Sujiashan, Yunmen and Shimenshan and Louping. In addition, there are 56 rural tourist attractions, including the provincial-level Xianfengshan Forest Park, the “highest mountain lake in East China” Qinshan Lake, “Fujian's most significant scenic spot” Dishuiyan, the “thousand-year-old temple” Lingfeng Temple and the “sacred place of wish-fulfillment” Fangguang Temple.
Lin Yiji, deputy governor of Zhouning County, stated that this cultural tourism festival will be a new starting point to accelerate the creation of a nationally renowned summer health tourism destination and strive to take the lead in the development of mountain counties.
Located in northeastern Fujian, Ningde City is home to the Ningde World Geopark, the largest settlement of the She ethnic group in the country, the home of the world's wooden arched bridges, the birthplace of white tea and the capital of Chinese black tea. It is a coastal holiday and ecotourism destination in southeastern China.
Ningde's mountains and rivers are known for their beauty. The city currently has a world geopark, two Level 5A scenic spots, four Level 4A scenic spots and 38 Level 3A scenic spots. These include the “Baishuiyang” shallow water spot for wading and playing, the “Hundred Mile Gallery” of Huotong Stream with the charm of an ancient town amidst green mountains and clear waters, the magnificent “Jiulongji” waterfall and the lush “Yuanyang Grassland”.
Ningde's cultural heritage is rich and unique. The city has four world-class intangible cultural heritage projects, 23 national-level intangible cultural heritage projects, 84 provincial-level projects and 224 municipal-level projects. These include the traditional construction techniques of Chinese wooden arch bridges that showcase the elegance of the Northern Song Dynasty, the waterproof compartment construction techniques of Fuzhou ships that demonstrate the maritime wisdom of the ancients, and the artistic charm of Zherong paper-cutting.
Ningde's cuisine is delicious and diverse. The city is known as the “Hometown of Great Yellow Umbrin”, “Capital of Edible Mushrooms”, “Hometown of Chinese Laver”, “Hometown of Chinese Kelp” and “Hometown of Grapes of Southern China”. The endless variety of delicious delicacies makes any trip to Ningde a journey of tasting the best of mountains and seas and enjoying the fragrance of fruits and vegetables.
Lei Wen said that every effort will be made to prepare and organize the event to make it unique and effective. In addition, people from all walks of life are welcome to visit Ningde for tourism and investment, share a better life and win a future of development together. (By Lin Rongsheng)
