Chongqing- On the morning of October 21, the Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance Conference & Lancang-Mekong Mayor Forum on Culture and Tourism kicked off in Chongqing. The event was held both online and offline, aims to facilitate cooperation among Lancang-Mekong countries in discussing the high-quality development of culture and tourism fields, advancing major projects, sharing development resources, promoting culture and tourism brands, advancing investment promotion, and creating a favorable development environment.

Du Jiang, Deputy Minister of Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Wang Fukang, Ambassador of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Myo Thant Pe, Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar in China, Khamphao Ernthavanh, Ambassador of the Embassy of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in China and YOS Sokhemrak, Consul General of Consulate-General of the Kingdom of Cambodia in Chongqing attended the conference and delivered speeches. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Ambassador of The Embassy of the Kingdom of Thailand in China, delivered his speech via video, and Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Cambodia, sent a congratulatory message.

The conference proposed the Work Program and Five-Year Action Plan of the Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities Cooperation Alliance to improve the Alliance mechanism's construction further. Chongqing, as a member of the alliance and the host city of the conference, launched the Chongqing Initiative on Lancang-Mekong Tourism Cooperation, advocating that the alliance members should build a new mechanism of pragmatic cooperation for mutual consultation and sharing, and build a high-level tourism exchange mechanism and cooperation platform for tourism cities in the Lancang-Mekong region with the full use of the new international land and sea trade corridor and the new western land and sea corridor.

After the opening ceremony, guests visited Lancang-Mekong Culture and Tourism Theme Photo Exhibition and Chongqing Intangible Cultural Heritage Interactive Experience Exhibition, having a full-on experience of the cultural charm of Lancang-Mekong countries as well as the unique fascination of Bayu culture.

On the afternoon of the day, three parallel Lancang-Mekong Mayors Forums on Culture and Tourism were held. Participating guests, experts, and scholars had in-depth discussions and exchanges around the three themes of "Post-Epidemic Tourism Recovery and Safety Coordination Mechanism," "Lancang-Mekong Cities Cooperation and Internationalization of Inland Cities," "Tourism Development and Rural Revitalization" to provide academic support for the high-quality development of culture and tourism fields of the Lancang-Mekong subregion. Moreover, a series of characteristic side activities such as Lancang-Mekong Youth Art Show, Culture and Tourism Promotion in Lancang-Mekong Tourist Cities, "Night of Jiulongpo District" Culture and Tourism Exchange Meeting were held in diverse forms and under broad themes, which won high praise from both domestic and foreign guests.