Coastal city draws tourists with a week-long festival

A seven-day festival focusing on marine culture, blue economy, the navy and coastal tourism will kick off in Zhanjiang, a harbor city in the west of Guangdong province, on Sept 29.

As the main organizer, Zhanjiang Tourism Bureau aspires to raise the city's global profile through the event.

Some exciting activities during the week will include the selection of the city's top eight tourist attractions, a gourmet seafood festival and a seascape photography competition.

Hu Chunhua, Party chief of Guangdong, called for the vigorous development of sub-tropical coastal tourism in Zhanjiang when he visited the city on Jan 16.

Zhanjiang received more than 15 million tourists from January to July, an increase of 17.6 percent compared to the same period last year. Tourism generated revenue totaling 7.63 billion yuan ($1.25 billion) during the seven months, a year-on-year growth of 18.8 percent, and the industry drew investments worth 1 billion yuan.

The local government has elevated tourism to one of the city's five most important industries. Mayor Wang Zhongbing pointed out during his visit to the city's tourism bureau that a well-developed tourism industry will help to restructure the city's economy and also benefit locals.

The prior tourism project is Nansan Island, which is expected to become a State-level pilot area for coastal tourism and another winter resort to contend with Hainan Island. The tourism bureau hopes that Nansan Island will bring the biggest growth to the industry once construction is complete.

Nansan Island, with an area of 120.57 square kilometers, is Guangdong's second-biggest island. Leisurely sightseeing and water sports are going to be the main attraction.

A world-class home port for cruises, an ocean theme park, an agriculture park for ecological sightseeing and a water sports center are on the blueprint.

Nansan Island is part of a larger project of integrating the resources of Zhanjiang Bay and five islands - Nansan Island, Techeng Island, Nanping Island, Donghai Island and Naozhou Island. The tourism industrial park will be the core of Zhanjiang coastal tourism development in the coming 10 years, boasting unique resources such as a volcanic landscape.

Zhanjiang is bestowed with many advantages in developing coastal tourism.

First of all, it is surrounded by the Pearl River Delta, Hainan Island and Southeast Asian countries.

When construction is completed on the coastal high-speed rail running through the west of Guangdong province in 2016, a population of 80 million will be in a two-hour travel distance from Zhanjiang.

It enjoys one-10th of the country's coastlines, more than 300 kilometers of which are suitable for developing tourism.

The city's long history and profound culture offer tourists the unforgettable experience of strolling on a street full of old French-style architecture and a grand sea view at the departure port of the Maritime Silk Road as well as a chance to watch magnificent dragon and lion dances.

Investors including Sherton have seen the great potential for Zhanjiang tourism. Altogether 18 tourism projects, each with an investment of at least 100 million yuan, are under construction across the city. The investments add up to 14.5 billion yuan in total.

The promotion of Zhanjiang tourism is in full swing.

Besides displaying and handing out brochures, video clips, maps and postcards at citywide tourist agencies, hotels and highway toll stations, the city government has also invested 100,000 yuan to advertise on 14 buses that run through the city every day to impress tourists.

Moreover, the tourism bureau has made full use of new media by setting up official micro blogs and developing mobile phone apps.

The apps will provide visitors with updated tourism information and booking services for products.

Visitors to Zhanjiang during the marine week will be fascinated by the well-made advertising video of the city's tourism and tourist guidebooks.

xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn