A tourism festival featuring cooperation between countries along the Silk Road was unveiled on  in Zhangye City, northwest China’s Gansu Province. The opening ceremony of the 11th Dunhuang Tour-Silk Road International Tourism Festival, jointly organized by Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Gansu provincial government, received nearly 700 tourists, investors and media from 48 countries and regions along the “Belt and Road” route, besides domestic guests.

This year’s festival aims to strengthen the “one belt and one road” cooperation, promote the recovery of the cultural and tourism market. Besides opening ceremony, a series of events will also take place during the festival, including the Silk Road Tourism Promotion Night, Gansu Tourism Promotion & International Travel Business Cooperation Conference, Gansu Culture and Tourism Industry Project Promotion Meeting, 2023 Silk Road Tourism Promotion Alliance Joint Meeting, 32nd Northwest Tourism Collaboration Zone Meeting, World Tourism Alliance – Silk Road Dialogue, China – Central Asia Tourism Culture Week, and Discover the Beauty of China.

Gansu Province will also carry out the Silk Road route exploration activities to further promote the domestic and international tourism market, and high-quality tourism routes in the province. Investors, representatives of the World Tourism Alliance and media will visit Zhangye, Jiuquan, Jiayuguan, Dunhuang, Linxia and other places in Gansu Province.

Zhang Yongxia, a provincial publicity official of Gansu said at the opening ceremony that Gansu carries the splendor of Chinese civilization and dreams, interpretation of the East-West exchange of poetry and faraway, a collection of beautiful mountains and rivers of the magnificent charm. “We will make the best use of our unique cultural and natural heritage advantages, coordinate tourism resources protection and development, improve tourism facilities and services, and amplify the comprehensive effect of cultural tourism,” said Zhang.

Gansu is the natural corridor and prime channel of the Silk Road connecting Central and West Asia, with 1,600 of the 7,000–kilometer-long silk road here. Zhangye city, located on the golden passage of the ancient Silk Road, is famous for its unique landscapes.

Dunhuang – Silk Road International Tourism Festival, as the only permanent international tourism festival named after the Silk Road, has been successfully held for ten years. The event has become an important platform to serve Silk Road countries and for Chinese cities to exchange ideas on tourism.