On 18 September 2017, ASEAN-China Tourism Festival was opened in Leshan, Sichuan province. Co-organized by ASEAN-China Centre (ACC) and Leshan Municipal People’s Government, and supported by Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and China National Travel Magazine (CNT), the festival was one of the most important activities of the 4th Sichuan International Travel Expo (SCITE). H.E. Mme. Yang Xiuping, Secretary-General of ACC, Mr. Dale Lawrence, Special Adviser to CEO of PATA, H.E. Mr. Masataka Fujita, Secretary-General of ASEAN-Japan Centre (AJC), Mr. Xie Haiyin, Deputy Director-General of Sichuan Provincial Tourism Development Committee，Mr. Tian Wen, Deputy Secretary of CPC Leshan Municipal Committee, Mr. Ivan Frank M. Olea, Minister of the Philippine Embassy in China, officials of ASEAN Embassies in China including Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar and Viet Nam, and delegates from tourism industry and media attended the event.
Secretary-General Yang Xiuping expressed her heartfelt thanks to Leshan Municipal People’s Government and related support units for their tremendous work contributing to the festival. She said that the year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of ASEAN and the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation. At present, ASEAN and China are seizing new opportunities and vigorously promoting tourism cooperation in various fields for better quality and performance. The festival was part of a series of activities organized by ACC to highlight the ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation and echo the Visit ASEAN@50 campaign. The festival was comprised of the Forum on Promotion ASEAN-China Tourism Development and colourful interactive activities at ACC pavilion including ASEAN tourism photo exhibition, tea making demonstration, cultural performance, ASEAN tourism Quiz, trying on ASEAN national costumes, photo shooting with ASEAN scenic spots as the background, and so forth. With the rich variety of activities, she hoped to demonstrate the uniqueness of ASEAN, and enhanced the mutual understanding and friendship between peoples of both sides so as to explore new opportunities for expanding ASEAN-China tourism cooperation.
Mr. Tian Wen said that Sichuan is a major tourism province in China, and is well known for rich world natural and cultural heritage. Leshan, called "Jiazhou" in ancient times, is an important tourist city in Sichuan, the tourism economic volume of which ranked the second within the province regularly. Leshan is the Excellent Tourism City, National Historical and Cultural City, National Garden City, National Tourism Reform and Innovation Pilot Area, National Comprehensive Tourism Demonstration Area and National Service Comprehensive Reform Pilot City. Since 2014, Leshan had successfully hosted three sessions of SCITE. Thus, the popularity and influence of Leshan had been expanded. Leshan was striding ahead with the goal of building the “First Tourism Destination of Sichuan”. He expressed his heartfelt thanks to ACC, UNWTO, PATA and so forth for their great attention and support to the development of Leshan Tourism, wished the festival a great success and hoped that the cooperation between ACC and Leshan would achieve fruitful results.
At the Opening Ceremony, the performers from Indonesia and China performed wonderful traditional dances. Guests attended the interactive events of the festival, and the atmosphere was very warm.
