Gansu attracts tourists with packed calendar of events

Sponsored by the Gansu Provincial People’s Government and lasting from June 15 to July 15, the Fourth Dunhuang Tour Silk Road International Tourism Festival hopes to attract over 14 million tourists to Gansu and bring in 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion), chinadaily.com.cn reported.

Each year a different city is selected to host the Dunhuang Tour Silk Road International Tourism Festival, which is an opportunity for it to market itself as a new travel destination to tourists both in China and abroad, says He Wei, director of Gansu’s provincial tourism bureau and head of the festival’s organizing committee.

The past three festivals were held in Lanzhou, Jiayuguan, and Dunhuang respectively.

During the festival, 42 activities are held in 14 different Gansu cities. After the opening ceremony, domestic and international travel agencies throw parties, Hong Kong and Macao travel agencies conduct Silk Road research and mayors of cities along the Silk Road economic belt hold a forum.

Outside of business, the province hosts the China Pingliang Kongtong Mountain cultural tourism festival, the China Tianshui Fu Xi Cultural Tourism Festival and even a dragon boat race. The festival holds a conference on health and a seminar on culture.

In Linxia (the Three Gorges of the Yellow River), it offers a “six-mountain outdoor challenge match”. There’s also the Jinchang international youth survival-training camp, the 5th “Yeliguan Cup” China tug-of-war tournament, the Taozhou flower fair and the Lanzhou hand-pulled beef noodle festival.

Edited by Noelle Mateer and Le Qin