London, November 4th (Xinhua) - The 2026 London World Tourism Fair will be held from the 3rd to the 5th at the London Exhibition Centre. The opening ceremony of the China exhibition area was held on the 3rd, attended by nearly 100 people from the domestic and foreign political, business, cultural and tourism industries, witnessing the new appearance of China's cultural and tourism industry focusing on green innovation, intangible cultural heritage inheritance, and industrial chain aggregation.
The China exhibition area of this year's exhibition is themed "China Tourism: Cultural, Plastic, and Tourism Showcase, Intelligent Creation of the Future, Green Coexistence", with a total area of 487.5 square meters, setting a new record for scale in history. The exhibition area design extracts prototypes from the contour lines of Chinese mountains and rivers, and showcases cultural and tourism products with unique features from 14 participating provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities using environmentally friendly materials. There are 116 participating institutions and enterprises.
Zhang Li, Director of the Chinese Tourism Office in London, delivered a speech at the opening ceremony, stating that tourism is not just about checking in and sightseeing, but also an important way to explore culture, get to know each other, and establish long-term friendships. It is also an excellent bridge to enhance people to people communication, cultivate friendship and mutual trust. Welcome more British tourists to visit China, and we look forward to more Chinese tourists experiencing the rich cultural heritage and hospitality of the UK and other countries around the world on site.
Zhang Zhixin, Ambassador of the Chinese Embassy in the UK, stated that this year marks the beginning of China's 15th Five Year Plan, and the inclusion of "tourism powerhouse" in the national five-year plan for the first time has pointed out the direction for the high-quality development of China's tourism industry. China continues to expand its high-level opening-up to the outside world and optimize its inbound tourism policies and services. China has implemented a unilateral visa free policy for British citizens and welcomes people from all walks of life to visit and exchange with China.
Patricia Yates, CEO of the UK National Tourism Board, said that China's visa free policy provides convenience for British tourists, promotes personnel exchanges and cultural exchanges between the UK and China, and looks forward to deepening the mutual connection between the two peoples through joint efforts.
During the exhibition, the Chinese exhibition area will showcase intangible cultural heritage elements such as Henan dough sculpture, traditional Chinese incense making, painted Peking Opera face masks, Hangzhou woodblock printing, Jiangsu Song brocade, Guangzhou embroidery, Foshan woodblock New Year paintings, and hold performances such as Chinese Kung Fu, Henan Opera, and Sichuan Changzui Bronze Pot Tea Art.
The London World Travel Fair was founded in 1980 and is one of the largest and most influential tourism exhibitions in the world. This trade fair attracted over 4000 exhibitors from more than 180 countries and regions worldwide.
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