Culture sparks tourism boom for Nanchang

Under the dark-blue sky and dazzling fireworks, Nanchang, capital of Jiangxi province, held a grand firework gala titled "The Scenery is Better Here" on China's National Day to celebrate the 74th anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China.

The main venue of the gala was located at Laoguanzhou, the heart of the Ganjiang River, near Tengwang Pavilion. The event showcased the characteristics of Nanchang in the new era as a city of great natural beauty, talented people and heroes through the combination of fireworks, drones, musical fountains and light shows.

At the opening ceremony, the night sky displayed eight huge footprints, symbolizing Nanchang's united, solid and progressive steps on a new journey. Co-hosted by the Nanchang bureau of culture, radio, television, press and publication, and Nanchang Transport Investment Group, the 33-minute firework gala was divided into three parts: National Prosperity and Peace, Prosperity in An Era of Greatness, and Hard Work and Progress to Compose A New Chapter.

To accelerate the high-quality development of the city's cultural tourism industry, Nanchang applied to become a demonstration city for tourism services experiences in July. In September, Nanchang became one of the first pilot cities for excellent tourism services experiences in the province.

Since the beginning of this year, Nanchang has successively launched popular events such as the Spring Fireworks Evening Gala, Strawberry Music Festival, International Dragon Boat Race, Flag-raising Ceremony at Bayi Square, and the final of the League of Legends City Heroes Championship. It has gained a huge buzz on social media and valuable brand recognition.

Nanchang is accelerating its efforts to improve the reputation of tourism segments such as food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment with multiple measures.

One of those means is transforming cultural tourism resources into products. Historical relics such as Tengwang Pavilion, Wanshou Palace, Shengjin Pagoda and the Haihunhou Site have become cultural landmarks. The city also boasts "Red" resources including the Bayi Uprising Memorial Hall, the Former Site of the New Fourth Army, and Xiaoping Road.

Currently, Nanchang has one 5A-level scenic spot, 19 4A-level scenic spots, and 36 3A-level scenic spots. There are 384 travel agencies, including 48 outbound travel agencies, and 43 star-rated tourist hotels, including four five-star hotels and 22 four-star hotels.

Nanchang launched 119 selected cultural tourism activities in various forms, including music festivals, concerts, comic conventions, art exhibitions, camping seasons, and garden parties before Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day.

It is optimizing the quality of the services provided by tourism operators in transportation, accommodation, dining, shopping, and entertainment, comprehensively enhancing the experience for tourists.

The city is also making great efforts to improve the market environment and reach consensus through cooperation and discussions among travel agency enterprises, their employees, and upstream and downstream institutions.