GBA goes all out to make itself a cultural tourism magnet

Arts and historical resources are to be integrated with tourism by building culturally rich, Lingnan-style resorts. Guangdong will also launch cultural tourism routes featuring relics, revolutionary history and traditional Chinese customs.

Integrated development of multiple industries, including "performance-plus-tourism", "food-plus-tourism" and "competition-plus-tourism" initiatives will be encouraged.

"We don't want a trip that merely concerns a place's attractions. We want to understand a city, its customs and taste local cuisine. That's the true meaning of travel," says Shenzhen resident Wu Zijuan.

She took her family to Zhongshan for three days during this year's Labor Day holidays. "We didn't spend much time at tourist attractions. Instead, we took in dragon boat races, music festivals and local delicacies."

New trends

According to preliminary official data, Guangdong raked in nearly 30 billion yuan ($4.16 billion) in tourism revenue during the five-day holiday break — up 20.3 percent year-on-year.

Tourist arrivals climbed 18.7 percent on a yearly basis to 46.1 million. Hong Kong welcomed 1.1 million travelers during the same period — a 22-percent increase from a year ago — while Macao saw tourist arrivals surge 41 percent to 850,000.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, says integrating culture and tourism is the trend. "More and more tourists go to destinations not just for the scenery.

They want to join in cultural and artistic activities," he says. "Places with a taste of local life, cultural richness and technological appeal captivate visitors, bringing greater satisfaction."

Besides Zhaoqing, other Chinese mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area did likewise during the Labor Day break to lure visitors.