The 2024 Changsha Inbound Tourism Matchmaking Event opened on May 12, with the theme of "World Travelers Exploring the Star City." Nearly 100 overseas guests from 59 travel agencies and agents from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and other countries are carrying out three days of exchange activities in Changsha. The event is Changsha's highest-level cultural tourism promotion activity held in recent years, with the widest range of participants from different countries.

Interactive demonstrations of intangible cultural heritage items have been elaborately arranged at the event to showcase the charm of Hunan culture. The intangible cultural heritage items include Hunan embroidery, Tongguan porcelain firing techniques, Changsha palm-leaf weaving, Liuyang xiabu plant-fiber cloth, Changsha dough modelling, the craft of cloisonné enamel, Changsha paper cutting, traditional Chinese incense making skills, and dyeing skills.

Kathryn Davis, director of tourism at Visit West of the UK and board member of UKinbound, said that Changsha has frequent exchanges with cities in western England, with hopes of finding more precise selling points, becoming mutual destinations for brand marketing, and creating more mutual opportunities. Zhao Feng, deputy director of the China National Tourist Office in Sydney, hoped that the event will open a window for the world to understand Changsha and attract more international friends to visit. "With the resumption of direct flights from Changsha to London, more and more Europeans will be inclined to visit Changsha," said Zhang Li, director of the China National Tourist Office in London, adding that Changsha is becoming increasingly popular among foreign tourists due to its efforts to provide convenient payment services in the cultural tourism sector.

Source: en.changsha.gov.cn