Collaborative Tourism Product Development to Enhance People-to-People Interactions Chongqing’s Debut at Singapore NATAS Travel Fair

In line with the CPC Chongqing Municipal Committee and Chongqing Municipal Government’s efforts to promote the development of “aviation + tourism”， collaborative endeavors are being made to develop tourism products connecting Chongqing and Singapore. These initiatives aim to promote people-to-people exchanges and cooperation between the two places. From August 10 to 14， with the strong support of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development， Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce， and the China-Singapore （Chongqing） Demonstration Initiative on Strategic Connectivity （CCI） Administrative Bureau， WCIT gave full play to its role as a platform of China-Singapore （Chongqing） Culture and Tourism Industry Alliance. Relying on the key project policies of the international market development plan of “100 groups， 1，000 enterprises”， it organized a delegation from the Liangping District’s Cultural and Tourism Commission， district-owned cultural and tourism enterprises， and the USUM International Hotel to participate in the 2023 National Association of Travel Agents Singapore （NATAS） Travel Fair.

The NATAS Travel Fair is one of the most influential tourism exhibitions in Singapore. Official tourism agencies， airlines， cruise companies， and hotels from countries like South Korea have actively participated in the exhibition， showcasing their offerings. Various travel agencies have collectively sold over 10，000 travel packages to China.

Taking this international exhibition as a platform， Liangping aims to build itself into the “Capital of Prefabricated Food in Western China” and promote Chongqing as a characteristic tourist destination for exhibiting local commodities that represent its culture and tourism. At the exhibition， the delegation had discussions with Qin Wen， the Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore， and Lyu Wenjun， President of the National Association of Travel Agents Singapore （NATAS）. They explored the possibility of organizing intangible cultural heritage performances， selecting promotional videos， and participating in the NATAS Travel Fair each year as a guest city of honor with the support of the Embassy of the PRC in Singapore and the China National Tourist Office in Singapore.

During the visit， the delegation had the opportunity to meet with various local government agencies and tourism enterprises in Singapore， including the Singapore Tourism Board， SPACElogic， Golden International Holdings， EU Holidays， and Travelstar Singapore. Discussions were held with the Singapore Tourism Board to explore opportunities for further exchanges and cooperation between cultural and tourism enterprises in both Chongqing and Singapore， leveraging the platform of the China-Singapore （Chongqing） Culture and Tourism Industry Alliance.

WCIT will continue to deepen the innovative mode， that is， leveraging its role as a municipal-level service platform for international culture and tourism exchanges with the support of various municipal departments. Then it will consolidate international resources and build bridges for international cooperation. By organizing business delegations and utilizing overseas exhibition platforms， it aims to promote Chongqing’s culture and tourism to go global while boosting economic and trade prosperity.

By Yang Yan/The World and Chongqing

Photo/Window for International Exchanges of Chongqing Culture & Tourism （WCIT）