Shanghai Tourism Festival to kick off in Sept

The 2019 Shanghai Tourism Festival, whose theme this year will be "Walking into Beauty and Joy", will open on Sept 14 with a parade in downtown Shanghai.

An annual event since 1990, the two-week festival is a large-scale tourism event. This year it will feature 100 interactive events, from the opening parade on Huaihai Zhonglu and a cruise ship parade on Huangpu River, to promotional packages that allow visitors to experience in-depth tours of the city, such as visits to the city's time-honored buildings. Food and shopping promotions will also take place in the city's commercial centers. Discounts from hotels and cultural events hosted by museums and galleries are also expected.

During the festival, visitors will also enjoy half-price access to Shanghai's major tourism attractions.

The festival parade, which is the main part of the opening ceremony, will bring together 33 performing groups from 25 countries and regions and 25 floats. The festival will last through Oct 6.

Zhan Jinyao contributed to this story.