Preparations underway for Wuhan Cultural and Tourism Expo

China is going to all lengths to prepare for the first China (Wuhan) Culture and Tourism Expo, that will be kicked off in early November, to help boost the tourism industry.

The expo, scheduled to open on Nov 5 and end Nov 7 in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, aims to attract more investors and travelers to the province, and the nation, while showing the world a high-quality and prosperous tourism market by applying state-of-the-art technologies, such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing in the events, said officials at a news conference on Saturday in Beijing.

Guo Yiqiang, deputy secretary-general of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said at the news conference that the expo is of great importance to support the development of the central province, which is also a driving force to the economic growth.

"The novel coronavirus epidemic has brought a hard shock to the tourism industry, while people have ever stronger desire for traveling to feel the beauty of nature, culture and life," he said. "The expo will show the public numerous tourism resources, enriching their traveling choices. It's also a good stage for cultural exchanges."

To secure a safe and smooth performance of the upcoming expo, the provincial and Wuhan authorities are making efforts to tighten up prevention and control work to avoid COVID-19 outbreaks during the expo.

Jiang Wei, vice-mayor of Wuhan, said at the news conference that the government will enhance management of exhibitors and workers at the expo, who are required to report their health conditions and tracing 14 days before the opening of the expo.

"Exhibitors should present their health code and proof of negative nucleic acid testing within 48 hours. They are required to wear masks at the expo," he said. "The audience also should make reservations using their real names and take body temperature and show their health codes when entering the venues."

He said the government will give discount tickets to the province's attractions to audiences joining the expo and give consumption coupons to people in Wuhan over the three-day expo.