Chongqing- On the afternoon of Sept 29, with the theme of “Connecting the Silk Roads on the Land & the Sea, Boosting the Double Circulation,” the “Traveling Western China by Train” Promotion Activity kicked off in Nanning, Guangxi. The promotion activity was co-organized by culture and tourism administrations from Gansu, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, and Xinjiang, a joint cooperation between governments and corporations. Meanwhile, a special train for “Traveling Western China by Train,” named “Harmonized Silk Road, Beautiful Gansu,” departed from Nanning and headed towards Xinjiang, the core area of the silk road economic zone.

The new brand of “Traveling Western China by Train,” initiated by Gansu and co-built by provinces and the municipality along the maritime and overland silk roads, connects the splendid culture and beautiful landscapes of Western China. These cities are all along the silk roads on the land & the sea. Gansu Province is located at a golden area of the new Western Land-Sea Corridor and Guangxi, the starting port of the ancient silk road on the sea.

Memorandum of Cooperation signed to co-build the brand of “Traveling Western China by Train”

On Sept 28, Gansu, Guangxi, Sichuan, and Chongqing signed the memorandum of “co-building the brand of ‘Traveling Western China by Train’” at the “Traveling Western China by Train” Brand Communication Meeting, which marked that the “Land Cruise” connecting the silk roads on the land & the sea officially sailed.

At the meeting, Mr.Qin Dingbo, the deputy director of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development, said signing the memorandum is a crucial measure for Chongqing and Gansu to implement the cooperation agreement reached between the two governments and a practical move to expand the western tourism market and strengthen cooperation in promoting western tourism. Mr.Qin said, “We hope co-building the brand ‘Traveling Western China by Train’ will provide an opportunity to enhance the communication and cooperation in tourism industry between two places, activate the positive function of the tourist flow volume of Western China and make each city in Western China become each other’s tourist markets and tourist attractions. We hope it will also provide an opportunity to deepen cooperation in the regional culture and tourism industry and speed up the quality development of the tourism economy of Western China.”

According to the memorandum, culture, and tourism administrations from Gansu, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan will co-build the brand in five aspects. First of all, “Traveling Western China by Train” promotion activities will be held in capital cities or important tourism cities of the four places occasionally. Secondly, Special trains for “Traveling Western China by Train,” is named after the four areas, will be supported. Thirdly, the four places will lead their own tourist attractions and culture and tourism enterprises to name each carriage and build the trains into culture and tourism pavilions that combine “catering, accommodation, transportation, tour, shopping and entertainment” together. Fourthly, four places will create more tour routes for “Traveling Western China by Train” and jointly develop train-touring products that connect the silk roads on the land & the sea. What’s more, the internal coordinating department will be set up to maintain the long-term cooperative and win-win relationship.

“Traveling Western China by Train” boosting quality development of the tourism economy of Western China

“Traveling Western China by Train,” called “Land Cruise,” forms the “transportation + tour” tourism product by integrating train services, tourist attractions, tourists, and travel agencies. The routes of special trains start from Guangxi in the south, reach the Western Land-Sea Corridor in the north, radiate out toward 12 provinces, the municipality, and regions in Western China, and reach Xinjiang, even Central Asia, which form a passage that connects the silk roads on land and sea.

So far, four routes have been opened for “Traveling Western China by Train.” In 2019, Gansu“Three Regions and Three Prefectures” Tour Circular Route was launched; the route from Longnan to Dunhuang was launched this May; a small circular route linking Chongqing, Sichuan Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Qinghai was launched this August. It is a new circular route connecting the silk roads on the land & the sea that starts from Guangxi and reaches Xinjiang, was launched to the public this September.