During the 2024 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Guangdong's cultural and tourism market saw notable growth. From September 15th to 17th, the province welcomed 21.36 million tourists, a 13.6% increase compared to the same period in 2019. Tourism revenue reached 10.4 billion yuan, marking a 16.3% growth.
Major cultural events drive robust consumer spending
This year, Guangdong used major cultural and tourism events as a catalyst to boost consumer activity during the Mid-Autumn Festival.
On September 13th, the Guangdong Cultural & Tourism Promotion Conference and the Consumption Season in 2024 officially kicked off at the Canton Fair Complex. The event unveiled the province's outstanding tourism consumption initiatives for 2024, as well as the year's digital innovation projects in culture and tourism. Simultaneously, the third round of subsidy programs for the Guangdong Tourism Consumption Season was launched to further stimulate consumer interest.
As part of the Guangdong Cultural & Tourism Promotion Conference, the 2024 Guangdong International Tourism Industry Expo took place from September 13th to 15th. The event gathered tourism organizations and enterprises from nearly 50 countries and regions and over 30 domestic provinces and cities. The three-day expo attracted more than 50,000 visitors, with exciting activities and products driving demand. Nearly 10,000 business negotiations were concluded over the course of the event.
Additionally, the "Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Tower Alliance" was established, comprising iconic towers such as Canton Tower, Pingan Financial Center-Free Sky in Shenzhen, sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck, and Macao Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre. The alliance aims to strengthen cultural and tourism cooperation across the Greater Bay Area. Before the holiday, Canton Tower hosted the alliance's launch ceremony, inviting guests to explore the region, ascend its towers, admire the full moon, and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Rich offerings of cultural and tourism products across the province
Throughout the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Guangdong's regions combined local cultural characteristics with tourism resources to enrich the variety of holiday experiences available to the public.
The Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center received more than 40,000 visitors over three days. The Guangdong Museum of Art hosted 26 themed activities, including guided tours and festival workshops, attracting 19,000 participants. Meanwhile, the Guangdong Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Center organized a diverse array of heritage events, such as the "Sounds of the Autumn Moon" guqin concert and the "Crafted Joys" cultural market, and "I Am a Little Journalist for Intangible Cultural Heritage" educational program, welcoming nearly 15,000 visitors.
The Guangdong Museum held a series of themed activities, attracting around 26,000 visitors and serving over 4 million people through its digital platforms. Its online exhibition, "A Night Under the Moon: Appreciating Hua Yan's Paintings", was livestreamed to an audience of 3.48 million.
At the Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province, artists from the Guangdong Couplets Association conducted knowledge-sharing sessions and calligraphy workshops. The library received 16,000 visitors in person, while nearly 180,000 people used its digital library services.
Across the province, various Mid-Autumn-themed performances and intangible cultural heritage exhibitions were offered, such as the "Starlit Mid-Autumn Night" at Shantou's Xiaogongyuan ("Little Park"), and the "Han Elegance in Autumn Splendor" folk culture event. These activities catered to the cultural needs of both residents and tourists during the holiday.
Source: Lingnan on the Cloud
