From the sea of clouds atop Mount Huangshan to the ancient charm of Huizhou culture, from the scenery along the Huaihe River to the blend of heritages in the Dabie Mountains... Anhui, this poetic land, is writing a new chapter in the integration of culture and tourism.

The Southern Anhui International Cultural and Tourism Demonstration Zone has taken the lead, forging a path of high-quality modern cultural and tourism development characterized by deep integration and all-for-one tourism. It is no longer just a destination for traditional sightseeing but has upgraded into a hub for modern leisure, vacation, and wellness tourism. Moving beyond isolated breakthroughs, the zone now emphasizes regional connectivity, fostering clusters of modern service industries such as leisure, vacation, wellness, and creative economies, creating a pioneering model for deep integration of culture and tourism and all-for-one tourism. From January to October this year, domestic tourists spent approximately 447.3 billion yuan in the demonstration zone, accounting for over 50.9% of the province's total.

At the same time, the Hefei Metropolitan Area has leveraged its strengths in technology, innovation, and cultural leisure tourism, the Dabie Mountains have promoted cultural tourism blending red heritage with green landscapes, and the Huaihe River (Anhui Section) Cultural Tourism Circuit has also showcased its unique offerings. Together, they form a development pattern characterized by multi-point blossoming and regional connectivity.

To revitalize culture, Anhui has promoted the modern expression of traditional culture by organizing exhibitions such as the "Jade Artifacts from the Lingjiatan Site at the Palace Museum" and the "Huizhou Culture Exhibition at the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum." It has also launched joint initiatives like the "Walking Ancient Trails" project in Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, and Jiangxi. Cultural heritage tours, archaeological tours, and museum visits remain highly popular. Activities such as "Hundred Huangmei Opera Performances in Hundred Scenic Spots" have been organized, with Huizhou fish lanterns becoming a trending national IP. Tourism performances like Hui Show and The Legend of the Dabie Mountains have been introduced, while the TV series 'Six Sisters' has sparked a trend of "traveling through film and television." From January to October this year, the province hosted over 33,800 commercial performances, attracting 2.74 million spectators and generating approximately 8.57 billion yuan in consumption.

Through the "Hundred Attractions Enhancement" initiative, the quality of tourism in Anhui has continued to rise. Two new national 5A-level tourist attractions or resorts have been added, bringing the total to 15. Seven national-level tourism and leisure streets and 12 nighttime cultural and tourism consumption clusters have been established. Xidi Village and Xiaogang Village have been recognized as "World's Best Tourism Villages," while picturesque leisure tourism villages and high-quality homestays dot the province like stars.

The cultural and tourism industry has increasingly become a vital engine driving high-quality economic development in Anhui. Focusing on four major industrial chains—leisure and vacation, cultural creativity, cultural and tourism equipment manufacturing, and smart cultural tourism—the province has formed clusters such as the Ziyun Mountain (Baohe) Cultural and Creative Industrial Park, along with a series of rural tourism clusters and integrated commercial-cultural-tourism development zones.

Anhui is actively integrating into the coordinated development of cultural and tourism in the Yangtze River Delta, taking the lead in creating the "Seven Famous" international boutique tourism routes of the Yangtze River Delta and jointly building world-class tourist destinations. In 2024, the number of tourists from Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang visiting Anhui exceeded 103 million, accounting for 56.3% of all tourists from outside the province, demonstrating significant achievements in regional collaboration.

In particular, in recent years, Anhui has vigorously promoted the facilitation of inbound tourism and the internationalization of services, attracting a growing number of overseas visitors. From January to October this year, the province saw substantial year-on-year growth in inbound tourist arrivals and international tourism revenue, reaching 68% and 59%, respectively. 

Source: anhuinews.com