The opening ceremony of the 16th Anhui International Cultural and Tourism Festival was held in Hefei on the afternoon of November 10. Using the festival as a bridge, Anhui strives to enable more overseas friends to discover, visit and understand Anhui, and advance higher-level cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation between Anhui and the world.

As a provincial-ministerial-level festival event, the Anhui International Cultural and Tourism Festival is hosted by the People's Government of Anhui Province and held annually. This year marks its 16th edition. Co-organizers of the current festival include the Publicity Department of the Anhui Provincial Party Committee, the Anhui Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, together with the people's governments of Hefei, Huangshan and other cities. Malaysia is the Guest Country of Honor and Zhejiang Province the Guest Province of Honor. UN Tourism, the Pacific Asia Travel Association and the World Tourism Alliance serve as supporting organizations.

Picturesque Anhui welcomes guests from all over the world. Adhering to the principle of nurturing tourism with culture and highlighting culture through tourism, this festival rolls out 13 key activities across the province centered on three themes: benefiting the public, international exchanges and industrial integration.

For international exchanges, a series of events will be held, including the 2026 RCEP Cultural Tourism Exchange and Promotion for World Heritage Sites, overseas Chinese media tour of Anhui, and site inspections for international travel agents. The Anhui Inbound Tourism Matchmaking Conference will bring together nearly 300 professional travel agents from more than 20 countries and regions. Parallel forums for four major markets — Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, as well as Europe and America — will be convened to develop premium inbound tourism routes tailored to overseas markets.

Source: anhuinews.com