In the city of the Great Wall and the imperial palace, the Forbidden City, the Asian Culture and Tourism Exhibition was held under the theme of ‘exchange, mutual learning and harmonious co-development’ to showcase the world a whole new encompassing image of Asian civilizations, culture and tourism.
Right from the entrance of the exhibition hall 11 at the Asian Culture and Tourism Exhibition, a fusion of rousing drumbeats, gongs and other traditional Chinese instruments greets visitors, taking them from a business meet to a setting of a Chinese village celebrating an occasion.
An amalgamation of the tradition and culture of over 30 nations with their themed cities in a single hall was the main USP of the Asian Culture and Tourism Exhibition. Every booth in the hall showcased some unique offerings, making the event a pool of cultures from across Asia. One of the objectives of the event was to create opportunities for all-round development and prosperity of Asian civilisations. Keeping with the theme of culture and tourism, the exhibition witnessed a range of cultural performances, cultural forums, trade talks for culture and tourism products, photo exhibitions, B2B sessions, as well as the promotion of guest-of-honour countries, themed provinces, cities and autonomous regions.
“Just as the Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed, mutual exchange of experience of all cultures across the globe is the new perspective of the civilisation of China, and to co-develop and prosper the Asian civilisation in harmony. To put into action, the President’s proposal and vision, we organise the Asian Culture and Tourism Exhibition with an aim of mutual exchange, visual learning and harmonious co-development, which aims to highlight latest developments in the creative and travel industries across Asia through themed exhibitions, culture performances, Asian travel operators conference, promotion of culture and tourism in China, Asian World Heritage image exhibition, promotion of guests-of-honour countries and themed cities. We also hope that this event inspires new partnerships among Asian and global businesses of all dynamic of cultural and tourism and open new dimensions of cultural exchange and mutual learning,” said Luo Shugang, Minister of Culture and Tourism of China.
Unrivalled diversity
The exhibiting nations were showcasing their cultural performances during the exhibition.
Hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, P R China, the gala of international culture and tourism started off with an opening ceremony, followed by parallel forums including Forum on Asian Culture, Tourism, People-to-People Exchanges and Asian Civilization Week. The exhibition represents a gathering of governments, travel agencies, hotels, resorts and airlines across China and from more than 30 Asian countries and regions, including Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Delegates and ministers from various nations during the inaugural session.
While every corner of the hall is exhibiting some unique intricacies of culture and tradition, the colourful cultural dances and music,
acts, songs captivate the visitors and has taken away the heart of everyone present there. The cultural dance and music songs performed by various troupes was the biggest attraction of the event. From traditional Lion dance, Chinese folk songs to a fashion show featuring Filipiniana garment clothes, the exhibition commemorated different traditions featuring a live example of ecstasies of culture.
The exhibition witnessed a pool of important delegates including Bosengkham Vongdara, Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos, Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of Cambodia, Phoeurng Sackona, Minister of Culture and Art of Cambodia, Phinij Jarusombat, former Prime Minister of Thailand and Chairman of Thailand-China Committee of Cultural Promotion, Aminuddin Ihsan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Brunei and more than 400 delegates from Asia attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
Visual Retreat
Visitors and buyers at the exhibition centre enjoying the cultural performances.
While one could experience a mix of various cultures and blend into it, there was the possibility of taking a bit of it back. A wide range of tourism projects and various commodities were displayed in the event. Various featured agricultural products and commodities like various fungi, dried fruits, dairy products, honey, teas, spices, beverages, dairy products, soy milk products, gems and jewellery, carpets and, traditional dresses were displayed for the visitors.
Keeping with the theme of cultural exchange and mutual learning, many projects involving traditional and cultural education including Zhaozhou Bridge Science and Technology Museum, Dali Red Scenic Area, China Friendship Association, Modern Military Academy Research, Baoding Military Academy Memorial Hall, were showcased.
The event was open for the public on the second day.
Alongside the exhibition, was the conference for Asian tour operators were also organised. The conference, Travel operator conference, under with the theme of ‘Cultural and Tourism Communication and Opportunity Sharing’, was attended by various travel resource owners, senior officials of cultural and tourism departments of the exhibiting participating nations. The conference gave various insights about elements like from marketing, execution, efficiency, direction, guidance and concepts of cultural and tourism integration to case studies, experiences, policies, resource development and creating products.
