Chongqing Tourism Investment and Chongqing Daily News Group signed a strategic and established several practical cooperation agreements on March 24, speeding up the revitalization of cultural tourism in Chongqing after COVID-19.

The Ayi River (Photo by the Ayi River Scenic Area)

An unexpected epidemic severely hit China’s cultural tourism industry. In essence, every link of the industrial chain, including travel agencies, OTAs, scenic areas, theme parks, hotels (B&Bs), performances, and resorts, suffered a significant loss. The industry, which aims to serve people’s beautiful life, has been resilient with potential, although being highly environmentally-sensitive. Over the past few years, Chongqing has seen the cultural tourism industry embraces booming development. The epidemic brings new challenges but also is embedded with new opportunities.

Chongqing Tourism Investment, municipal-level tourism investment, and financing leader have 12 subsidiaries, 17 scenic areas, of which two are 5A-rated, and eight are 4A-rated, seven five-star Yangtze Gold Cruises, 12 middle-range, and upscale hotels, of which 3 are five-star, and 7 are four-star, and other valuable tourism resources. It, therefore, creates a five-in-one tourism industrial chain incorporating scenic areas, hotels, cruises, travel agencies, and real estates.

Chongqing Daily News Group is a mainstream media group of Chongqing. Recently, it has been promoting media convergence, resulting in an Omnimedia matrix led by Chongqing Daily, cqnews.net, and CQCB and composed of outdoor media and Chongqing International Media Center. It covers 350 million people. Platforms, such as Chongqing Culture & Tourism International Communication Center, Tourism Development Center, News Tourism Group, under the Chongqing Daily News Group are capable of planning, marketing and execution of industrial product and product integration.

The two parties have reached many practical cooperation agreements. First, they will deepen project cooperation. Chongqing Daily News Group and Chongqing Locajoy Theme Park in Yongchuan District will develop in-depth capital collaboration, and the former will participate in the comprehensive integration and marketing of the latter; Chongqing Tourism Investment will employ Chongqing Daily News Group’s media and other channels to advertise its scenic areas, cruises, hotels, travel agencies, and other products, to improve its brand value and influence significantly.

Second, they will deepen marketing cooperation. The two parties will jointly plan and organize a special tour and personalized tour routes covering the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the Yangtze River international golden tourism belt. They will also promote performances in scenic areas and competition events. With such efforts, they are expected to quickly foster and expand the cultural tourism market and revitalize tourism consumption in the city.

Guan Hong, Secretary of the CPC Chongqing Daily News Group Committee and President of Industry Company of Chongqing Daily News Group, said that the Group was responsible for exerting its professional and publicizing strengths to stimulate the cultural tourism industry of Chongqing.