Shanghai hosts tourism festival to boost consumption

SHANGHAI -- The 34th Shanghai Tourism Festival opened Saturday and will last until Oct 6, aiming to boost cultural and tourism consumption.

A total of 70 tourist attractions in Shanghai, including the Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai wildlife park and Fengjing ancient town, as well as a raft of museums and parks, will offer 50 percent discount on admission tickets from Sept 16 to 22.

The city's 16 districts will also launch various cultural tourism consumption activities.

This year, the festival has set up sub-venues in 12 cities in the Yangtze River Delta and east China, including Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, Taizhou in Zhejiang Province, Huangshan in Anhui Province, Shangrao in Jiangxi Province and Sanming in Fujian Province.

Data from the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism shows that in the first half of 2023, Shanghai received more than 139 million domestic visitors, generating tourism revenue of more than 155 billion yuan (about $21.59 billion), an increase of more than 100 percent year on year.

The annual Shanghai Tourism Festival was launched in 1990.