Wuxi Tourism Bureau Aims to Attract One Million Shanghai Residents to Wuxi in 2013

The Wuxi Tourism Bureau held a large-scale promotional conference today in Shanghai to introduce a diverse and exciting series of new travel products packaged under the theme “Enchanting Wuxi Leisure Travel – New Sites, New Experiences, New Routes”.

Some one hundred dignitaries from Wuxi and the surrounding area attended the event. They were led by Wuxi Municipal Party Secretary Ms. Lixin Huang, and included other leaders in the Wuxi Party Committee and government; members of tourism site leadership teams; leaders of provincial, county and city tourism bureaus; and representatives of numerous tourism industry enterprises. The “Beautiful Wuxi” travel promotion conference was presided over by Wuxi City Government Assistant Mayor Fang Wei. Speakers at the event included a member of the Standing Committee of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, and Wuxi Municipal Party Secretary Ms. Lixin Huang, who stated: “As a renowned city in southern China with over three thousand years of history, Wuxi is blessed with an abundance of tourism resources and rich cultural heritage. We sincerely welcome all travelers to Wuxi and hope they come often.”

Aiming to promote healthy and rapid development of Wuxi’s tourism industry, the conference organizers located their event in Shanghai in order to take advantage of its metropolitan influence, which extends to cities throughout the Yangtze Delta, and to strengthen communication with the large number of tourists in the city and its surrounding areas. Representatives from Wuxi and its tourism industry discussed with their counterparts in Shanghai ideas for cooperation and mutual promotion, including the joint creation of a new “East China quality travel experience route”.

The unique new Wuxi travel packages unveiled at the conference are mostly linked to one of the four seasons:
“Spring Travels” greets you with flowers. The fragrance of plum gardens, blossoming cherry trees on Turtle Head Island, picking spring tea leaves, enjoying a traditional Wuxi opera, tasting fresh spring foods and leisurely strolls around Li Lake and Chang Park all give memorable tastes of the warmth and softness of the South China spring.

“Summer Travels” kisses you with water. Forage for tasty delicacies along Yangchun Lane, sail a boat on the Grand Canal, and escape to the refreshing coolness of Yixing bamboo forest. Travel back in time to the age of golden spears and armored horses inside Three Kingdoms City, Tang City and Water Margin City. Your children especially will love Wuxi’s Firefly Festival in Li Park, as well as Huanlegu Animal Park.

“Autumn Rhymes” strengthens you with fresh air. Feast your eye on the fall colors of Snow Wave Mountain and Mount Deer Neck, clear your lungs with the fresh air of expansive Wetland Park, then return to times past in the ancient village on Mount Hui, where you can also delight in the serenity of the crystal clear fountain that inspired “Reflections of the Moon on the Waters of Erquan”, one of China’s most beloved erhu melodies.

“Winter Emotions” rejuvenates you with warmth. Pray at the foot of the giant Buddha on Mount Ling, then retreat to the monastery for a session of zen meditation. With your spirit warmed, visit Yuanyi hot spring to warm your body. Then it’s on to the ancient villages of Dangkou and Meili, each filled with winter festival bustle. Finally, rush to catch the gathering at Taibo Temple, all the while drawing warmth from the ambience of these places as they prepare to meet the New Year.

In addition to the “Four Seasons” themed experiences, Wuxi Tourism Bureau is also promoting a set of routes that offer experiences of even greater depth and detail: Cultural Travel On the Jiangyin River; Yixing Eco-Tourism Trail; Scenic Ten-Mile Section of the Grand Canal; Mount Yang Eco-Tourism Trail; Ling Shan Prayer & Meditation Trip; and “Dreaming Back to South China”, a spectacular and large-scale work of outdoor performance art. These experiences all introduce the charm and beauty of Wuxi in a more comprehensive fashion.

Only 90 minutes from Shanghai by car, 40-plus minutes by high speed rail, Wuxi is the ideal weekend getaway for residents of the big city. The new Wuxi travel experiences have been designed to meet the urgent need for rejuvenation that people living in Shanghai’s fast-paced urban environment so strongly feel. Richly diverse, these new tourism products are each a distinctly unique mix of traditional gardens, open scenic areas, cultural discovery and interactive experience. They present an authentically traditional side of Wuxi while introducing completely new scenic routes and experiences, and can be enjoyed as a single day of sightseeing, as a colorful two-day holiday, or as a multi-day combination experience.

The “Enchanting Wuxi” travel promotional conference attracted crowds of representatives from the Shanghai tourism industry and from numerous media outlets. Total attendance is believed to have surpassed 300. The event serves as an auspicious launch of the Wuxi Tourism Bureau’s campaign to attract one million Shanghai residents to their city during 2013. Numerous agreements were signed between Shanghai travel agencies and Wuxi tourism industry organizations, often to the cheers and applause of the conference attendees.

(Clockwise from top left): Li Lake; Jichang Garden during Autumn;