What will happen when international friends experience the Chinese New Year and traditional Lantern Festival in Flower City Guangzhou? What stories will they make?
From February 21st to 25th, more than 70 renowned international travelers and their families from 18 cities in 17 countries, including Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Dubai in the UAE, Auckland in New Zealand, New York and Los Angeles in the United States, Sydney in Australia, Moscow in Russia, Delhi in India, Tokyo in Japan, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Bangkok in Thailand, Singapore, Hanoi in Vietnam, Rome in Italy, London in the United Kingdom, Nairobi in Kenya, Seoul inSouth Korea, and Islamabad in Pakistan, embarked on a 5-day journey to explore Guangzhou.
With the recovery of international flights to and from China and the facilitative measures for foreigners traveling to China, the range of visa-free countries has been expanding. Since the beginning of 2024, the inbound tourism market has seen a rapid recovery. According to the travel report of the Chinese New Year holiday from the online travel services provider Trip.com, both outbound and inbound tourism orders during the holiday exceeded the same period in 2019, with a 48% growth in inbound tourism compared to 2019.
As a national central city and a comprehensive gateway city, Guangzhou embraces an inclusive and open-minded spirit. It appeals to visitors from various countries with rich tourismresourcescarrying the cultural emotions and shared memories of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, ranking among the popular inbound travel destinations.
To impress international friends visiting Guangzhou, the organizers carefully prepared and created a premium itinerary with Cantonese culture and Lingnan characteristics, covering traditional Cantonese temple fairs, Lingnan-style cuisine, and the traditional customs of the Chinese Lantern Festival.
The itinerary included must-visit landmarks such as the Canton Tower, Baiyun Mountain, and Flower City Square. Participants also experienced the history of the ancient city's cultural heritage through visits to the Lingnan Impression Garden, Yongqing Fang, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Shennong Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the new Guangzhou Cultural & Art Center. Additionally, they enjoyed a "fashion" tour with a night cruise on the Pearl River.
The itinerary was specially tailored to include a food tour featuring traditional Cantonese cuisine and Lingnan-style dim sum. On the night of the Lantern Festival, the Guangzhou cultural and tourism promotion dinnerwereheld at the Dong Fang Hotel Guangzhou. Many international friends participated in lantern riddle activity and experienced intangible culturalheritagesand Chinese traditional cultures such as Han-style clothing, sugar painting, paper cutting, handprint art, Cantonese delicacy, and Chinese calligraphy. The event provided a memorable Lantern Festival celebration for all involved.
Source:Yangcheng Evening News
