Qingyuan’s tourism promotion staff distributed publicity materials, promotional DVDs, free tickets for some popular locations and hotels.

The 2011 Chinese Culture Tourism Promotion Activity was held in Hong Kong and Macao from March 28 to April 3. The event was sponsored by the National Tourism Administration and supported by the tourism bureaus of 19 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, including Guangdong province.

The Qingyuan Municipal Tourism Administration, Qingcheng District Tourism Bureau, Qingxin County Tourism Bureau, and some city-level tourism companies, sent delegates to join the Guangdong delegation. The agencies exhibited Qingyuan’s ecological and cultural tourism resources and products.

Hong Kong and Macao are popular tourism destinations, which combine Chinese and Western cultures. Qingyuan is a major destination in the Hong Kong, Macao and Pearl River Delta area for ecological and entertainment tourism. Qingyuan is closely associated with Hong Kong and Macao in geo-politics and culture, but they offer different tourism resources.

At Macao Meeting-house Square and Hong Kong Kowloon Hollywood Square, Qingyuan’s tourism promotion staff distributed publicity materials, promotional DVDs, free tickets for some popular locations and hotels.

The materials promote the city’s beautiful landscapes, history and gourmet food. Many residents of Hong Kong and Macao claimed to have visited Qingyuan and spoke highly of their experiences. The city’s delegates were surveyed as tourists by the Macao Tourism Association.

In recent years, Hong Kong and Macao have often held tourism exchanges with Qingyuan. The municipal government will organize groups each year to host parties and Qingyuan tourism promotion meetings in Hong Kong. The Municipal Tourism Association and Chamber of Dietary Service work together to spread traditional foods at the Northern Guangdong Delicacies Promotion activity in Macao.

The Qingyuan branches of China Travel Service, China International Travel Service, and China Youth Travel Service, as well as Qingyuan Guangzhilu and Xinghui Travel Service, have signed agreements to do work with agencies in Hong Kong and Macao. The exchange visits increase every year. Statistics show 257,000 Hong Kong and Macao tourists visited Qingyuan in 2010.