From November 25 to 29, the Chongqing International Travel Agent Conference 2024 will be held in Southwest China's Chongqing. This year's event, themed "Nihao! Chongqing," is sponsored by the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Culture and Tourism Development and the People's Government of Jiulongpo District. 

From November 25 to 29, the Chongqing International Travel Agent Conference 2024 will be celebrated in Southwest China's Chongqing. (Photo/The event organizer)

The aim is to strengthen cooperation between Chongqing and global travel agents and stimulate the city's high-quality tourism industry development. As a municipal-level international brand event, the Chongqing International Travel Agent Conference has been successfully staged for three consecutive sessions in 2018, 2019, and 2023, with fruitful results.

This conference is slated to deepen cultural and tourism exchanges and collaboration among countries while introducing changes in entry/exit facilitation policies and new features of Chongqing's tourism products. Through an array of colorful activities, it will create a professional, market-oriented, and branded international cultural and tourism event to fully showcase Chongqing's rich and diverse cultural and tourism characteristics and contribute to cooperation and exchanges in the Chinese and international tourism markets.

The first batch of travel agents arrived in Chongqing on November 24. (Photo/The event organizer)

The conference has invited over 400 attendees, including representatives from overseas tourism bureaus, international airlines, key tourism enterprises, tourism organizations, tourism industry associations, and media outlets from China and other countries. During the event, culture and tourism-related units from Chongqing will sign cooperation agreements with Malaysia and Indonesia to establish partnerships in areas such as institution establishment, information exchange, and promotional activities. Some Chongqing-based enterprises engaged in tourism plan to sign cooperation projects with their counterparts from Malaysia, New Zealand, Vietnam, and other countries, with the contract amount of individual projects reaching RMB 50 million.

A five-day inspection of Chongqing's quality tourism routes will be organized during the conference. Participants from the international tourism sector will be invited to visit districts and counties, including Yuzhong District, Rongchang District, Wulong District, Fuling District, Dazu District, Hechuan District, and Fengdu County, to experience Chongqing's geographical and cultural features and boost the development of Chongqing's inbound tourism.

It is worth mentioning that Chongqing has made remarkable achievements in culture and tourism in recent years. According to the latest data, both the added values of the municipality's cultural and tourism industries exceeded RMB 120 billion in 2023, with year-on-year increases of 7.5% and 13.5%, respectively. Notably, the reception of cruises on the Three Gorges, the Yangtze River, and the Jialing River has hit a 30-year high. Chongqing has ranked seventh in China for overall satisfaction with public cultural services and topped the list in terms of tourist satisfaction.

Recently, Chongqing has also optimized the visa policy for tourist groups at ports. It has launched China's first project enabling tourist group visas for foreign nationals entering ports simply via an application process. By leveraging the 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals, the application is expected to significantly improve the port capacity and service level, effectively shortening the customs clearance time of inbound passengers and enhancing the customs clearance efficiency.

These remarkable achievements not only demonstrate the strong momentum of Chongqing's cultural and tourism industries but also lay a solid foundation for the upcoming International Travel Agent Conference.

It is reported that in addition to inspecting quality tourism routes, the event will also feature cultural and tourism promotion roadshows, business negotiations, and other activities. These activities aim to provide a platform for exchanges and industry cooperation between domestic and international tourism participants. Distinguished guests will be invited to deliver keynote speeches and engage in discussions on development opportunities in the cultural and tourism industries. Additionally, annual tourism promotion ambassadors will be honored to further enhance the international recognition and reputation of Chongqing's culture and tourism.