An aerial view of Tianhe Road business circle in Guangzhou, the main venue of the Guangzhou International Shopping Festival. [Photo/southcn.com]

The 2019 Guangzhou International Shopping Festival opened on Oct 11. Lasting for one month, it includes around 300 consumption experience activities.

The Guangzhou International Shopping Festival, which has been held for seven consecutive years in the Tianhe Road business circle since 2012, is the largest shopping festival in Guangzhou in terms of its scale.

In order to allow Guangzhou locals to get a close look at cultures from other countries, each year's festival cooperates with a different country. At previous festivals, it has cooperated with countries including Singapore, France, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and Germany.

Xie Meng, chairman of the Guangzhou Tianhe Road Chamber of Commerce, said that this year's festival is themed around the culture and tourism in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which is expected to boost the cultural communication and integration in the area, as well as enhance the international influence and reach of the Tianhe Road business circle.

Lin Guoqiang, deputy director of the Guangzhou municipal commerce bureau, said that the festival has not only displayed the achievements of Guangzhou's economy, trade, and society, but has also integrated distinctive cultural elements from Hong Kong and Macao, which showcase the city's charm as an international economic and trade center.

In addition to themed promotions, various activities facing the Greater Bay Area, such as a cultural tourism exhibition, a gourmet festival, a featured jewelry exhibition, and a children's talent competition will be held during the festival, allowing visitors to feel the cultural charm of the Greater Bay Area.

"I hope that this year's shopping festival can bring more vitality to Tianhe Road and help to form a new development pattern integrating culture, business, and tourism," said Xie.