To expand inbound tourism, tap into new partnership potential, and promote the continuous development of the tourism market, the NIHAO! CHINA 2025 Asian Tour Operators' China Trip was held in Quanzhou, Fujian, from August 14 to 16. The event injected new vitality into tourism cooperation along the Maritime Silk Road.

The event was hosted by the Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation Ministry of Culture and Tourism, P.R. China, with support from the Fujian Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, and organized by the Quanzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism and Trip.com Group. Using cultural tourism as the bond, the event brought together 36 leading Asian tour operators from six countries, including Japan and South Korea, to explore Quanzhou, the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road. The trip offered a deep dive into Quanzhou's unique cultural charm, which blends a thousand years of history with modern vitality.

At the Hearts Toward China, Together for a New Journey - NIHAO! CHINA 2025 Asian Tour Operators' China Trip · Quanzhou Promotion Conference on August 15, Xiao Changpei, Deputy Director-General of the Fujian Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, delivered a speech highlighting Fujian's rich cultural and tourism resources and diverse culture as the eastern starting point of the Maritime Silk Road and a famous hometown of overseas Chinese. He noted that Fujian consistently ranks sixth nationwide in inbound tourism. According to Xiao, Fujian attaches great importance to the development of cultural tourism. The local government has implemented 12 measures to boost inbound tourism, including enhancing cooperation with the United Nations World Tourism Organization, increasing flight routes, improving multi-lingual services, and launching ten featured inbound tourism products. The inbound tourism data for 2024 and the first half of 2025 is impressive. Xiao pointed out that the promotion conference was an excellent opportunity for tour operators to learn about Fujian and expressed his hope that the guests would appreciate the beauty of Fujian and work together to create a brighter future for global cultural tourism.

(Speech by Xiao Changpei)

Lv Xiujia, Director of Quanzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Broadcasting and Tourism, delivered a welcome speech at the promotion conference, noting that Quanzhou, as the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road and a UNESCO World Heritage site of the "Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China," boasts a wealth of cultural and tourism resources, including a vibrant, diverse culture, living intangible cultural heritage, and unique local cuisine. According to Lv, Quanzhou has, in recent years, implemented a three-year action plan to promote the high-quality development of inbound tourism, with a focus on expanding the Southeast Asian market, exploring emerging markets, and enhancing inbound services and premium travel routes. Lv emphasized that the conference served as a bridge for cooperation and looks forward to working with Asian tour operators to develop tailored products to build Quanzhou into a new cultural and tourism hub and contribute to the growth of cross-border tourism.

(Speech by Lv Xiujia)

Representatives from key travel agencies, attractions, and hotels in Fujian and Quanzhou participated in the event and delivered exciting presentations. Zheng Gesheng, General Manager of Xiamen Tourism International Inbound Reception Center, highlighted Fujian's world heritage resources during the presentation, outlining a distinctive travel route.

(Promotion by Zheng Gesheng)

At the promotion event, Kang Rongting, a Quanzhou cultural tourism ambassador, introduced the city's rich cultural heritage, natural landscapes, and various service measures taken to enhance visitor experiences to the 36 tour operators from six Asian countries, showcasing Quanzhou's commitment to fostering mutually beneficial partnerships with tour operators.

(Promotion by Kang Rongting)

In promoting the 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit Tour in Quanzhou, Wang Jiaoting, a Quanzhou cultural tourism guide, highlighted several premium travel routes that connect major entry ports. These routes cover UNESCO World Heritage sites like Kaiyuan Temple, Qingyuan Mountain, and Luoyang Bridge, as well as intangible cultural heritage experiences, allowing visitors with different stay durations to deeply experience Quanzhou's millennium-old culture and the unique charm of Southern Fujian.

(Promotion by Wang Jiaoting)

(Intangible Cultural Heritage Performance)

The event also featured vibrant intangible cultural heritage performances that vividly showcased Fujian's rich cultural heritage and tourism appeal. The melodies of Nanyin, an ancient musical form, conveyed the unique charm of traditional music. The Hui'an Women's Culture performance showcased the local lifestyle of Hui'an women and regional characteristics, while the Zanhua (hairpin flowers) and string puppet shows blended local folk customs with traditional craftsmanship, offering guests an immersive experience of the vitality of Quanzhou's intangible cultural heritage and the diversity of Fujian's culture and tourism.

(Group Photo of Asian Tour Operators)

During the trip, the tour operators enjoyed a rich and in-depth itinerary. They visited attractions like Southern Shaolin Temple and Qingyuan Mountain, where they were immersed in the blend of nature and history. Strolling across Luoyang Bridge, they admired the ancient engineering wisdom that has endured for millennia. In Xunpu Village, they experienced the unique fishing culture and Zanhua tradition. Furthermore, cultural sites like the Quanzhou Maritime Museum, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum, and Kaiyuan Temple offered glimpses into the glorious past of the Maritime Silk Road through artifacts and relics, helping the group trace the city's historical significance as a global maritime trade hub during the Song and Yuan dynasties and better understand its enduring charm across centuries.

The NIHAO! CHINA Asian Tour Operators' China Trip created an excellent platform for interaction and exchange between Quanzhou and tour operators from various Asian countries. Looking ahead, Quanzhou will use this event as an opportunity and leverage Trip.com's leading advantages in product innovation, traffic aggregation, and global promotion to continuously optimize its cultural and tourism offerings, improve service quality, promote deeper exchanges and cooperation with Asian countries in tourism, and contribute to the prosperity of the inbound tourism market.