Guiyang expands links to ASEAN nations

The 2020 ASEAN (Guiyang) Belt and Road Culture and Tourism Exchange Week kicked off in Guiyang – capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province on Sept 17 – attracting over 560 companies from 39 countries and regions to attend online and offline.

This year marks the China-ASEAN year of digital economy cooperation, as well as the third year of Guiyang holding the exchange week, which aims to enhance the cooperation between Guiyang and ASEAN countries.

In recent years, Guiyang has opened new air routes to ASEAN countries, promoting culture, tourism and economic exchanges between Guiyang and the group. The first international air route that resumed in Guiyang in September – after novel coronavirus conditions had improved – was to Bangkok, Thailand.

In addition, Guiyang organized a series of activities to promote its tourism in Southeast Asia, leading to a year-on-year increase of 49.9 percent in tourists spending an overnight there from ASEAN countries last year – making up 14.5 percent of the total overseas tourists having overnights in the city.

Guiyang wants to make the exchange week an opportunity to enhance cooperation with ASEAN on air route developments and tourism promotions. It wants to create tourism routes and expand investment in tourism.

According to Cheng Dehai, secretary-general of the ASEAN-China Center – the international organization co-established by China and ASEAN governments – it will use modern technologies, such as online sightseeing and exhibition, to help the tourism industry recover from the influence of the coronavirus epidemic.