Chongqing - "I feel proud to see the tourism promotion and cultural performances of my hometown in Singapore. I want to recommend Chongqing to more friends," said Yin Xin, a Chongqing native and student at Nanyang Technological University, with excitement after attending the Chongqing-Singapore Tourism Promotion Event held at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Center on July 16th.

The Chongqing-Singapore Tourism Promotion Event was held at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Center on July 16th. (Photo/Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development)

During the promotion event, Chongqing's Jiangbei District signed an investment agreement with KinderWorld International Group for the establishment of KinderWorld International Cultural Tourism Development (Chongqing) Co. Ltd., in the district. 

Moreover, Commonwealth Travel Service Corporation Pte Ltd signed a cruise service procurement contract with Chongqing Guanda Century Cruise Co Ltd.

Ran Huazhang, Director of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, addressed, "When minds are united, mountains and oceans are not obstacles." 

"As China's doors widen, more people from Chongqing are traveling to Singapore for tourism, studying, and working. Chongqing also sincerely looks forward to sharing the tremendous market and opportunities for tourism development with friends from Singapore," he added.

In November of this year, Chongqing will host the 2023 Chongqing Global Travel Agency Conference and invites friends from all walks of life in Singapore to participate in the exhibition, sightseeing, leisure, and health tourism in Chongqing, and personally experience the unique charm of the "City of Mountains and Rivers."

Xu Rui, an official with the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, invited everyone to visit and experience the natural and cultural attractions of Chongqing, such as Dazu Rock Carvings, Wulong Karst, the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, Jinfo Mountain, the Yangtze River Cableway, and the White Crane Ridge Underwater Museum.

The lottery draw at the promotion event was well-received. Dong Minghui, the chief scientist of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research in Singapore, was lucky to win two round-trip tickets from Singapore to Chongqing and a package including urban tourism and world heritage boutique routes in Chongqing. He said, "I have always been looking forward to visiting Chongqing, and I have some knowledge about attractions like Hongya Cave. Winning this award, I plan to explore Chongqing with my wife."

Six artists from the Chongqing Opera House delivered a fantastic cultural performance that left a deep impression on the Singaporean audience. The solo erhu performance Ant, the Chinese traditional music trio Horse Racing, and the male and female vocal trio Song of the Yangtze River were performed one after another, allowing the Singaporean audience to appreciate the unique charm of Chongqing. 

After the performance, Liu Guangyu, Chairman of the Chongqing Musicians Association and Director of the Chongqing Opera House and Chongqing Symphony Orchestra expressed that music knows no borders and looked forward to building a bridge of humanity and friendship through cultural exchanges, contributing to the cooperation between Chongqing and Singapore.

In recent years, under the framework of the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity, Chongqing and Singapore have maintained frequent friendly exchanges, with culture and tourism playing an essential role in promoting people-to-people connectivity and driving industrial development. 

Chongqing has organized numerous cultural exchanges, intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, and tourism promotions in Singapore. Singaporean travel groups have also visited Chongqing to participate in the 2018 and 2019 Chongqing Global Travel Agency Conferences. The bilateral cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results. 

In October 2022, the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development and the Singapore Tourism Board signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strengthening tourism cooperation. In November of the same year, the China-Singapore (Chongqing) Cultural and Tourism Industry Alliance was established, marking the beginning of a new chapter in cultural and tourism exchanges between the two regions.

(Guo Juntao, as an intern, also contributed to the report.)