Why Building This Corridor Matters So Much for Chongqing’s Culture and Tourism?

Chongqing - How much weight can a corridor carry? The 12th meeting of the Chongqing-Sichuan Joint Conference on Promoting the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle, held recently, placed one deployment front and center: "comprehensively improving the quality and efficiency of the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor."

What may appear to be a routine interprovincial meeting is, in fact, another step in deepening a national strategy. The Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle aims to become a key growth pole for high-quality development. The Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, steeped in the cultural lineage and everyday vitality of the Bashu region, serves as a vital bond for coalescing public sentiment and activating regional cultural energy.

From breaking ground to delivering results, every step forward in building this corridor injects cultural momentum into cities, expands room for industry growth, and enhances quality of life. The stakes are high.

More Than a Tourism Route

The Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor is no longer merely a cross-provincial tourism itinerary. Its significance lies in driving Chongqing's culture and tourism from isolated breakthroughs toward systemic restructuring, and from regional collaboration toward a leap in development capacity.

From geographic proximity to developmental integration. The corridor's weight is first reflected in its alignment with top-level design. In 2022, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the governments of Chongqing and Sichuan jointly issued the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor Construction Plan. By 2025, the first planning period concluded with all targets met.

The results are tangible: over 100 million mutual visits between residents of the two regions and tourists touring both Sichuan and Chongqing; and joint legislation on Sichuan opera, marking China's first cross-provincial collaborative legislation in the cultural field. These outcomes confirm the corridor's role in the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and testify to the two regions' joint efforts to maximize regional advantages.

From breaking ground to delivering results. A plan's value is tested in the market. In Chongqing, the added value of the city's cultural and tourism industries grew at an average annual rate of 8.4% over the past three years, contributing 9% to the economy. In 2025, the city received over 500 million domestic and international tourist visits—the highest among all Chinese cities. Inbound visitors surpassed 2 million for the first time, reaching 2.1478 million, a more than threefold increase over 2023.

Beyond the numbers, there is reputation. Chongqing has been named one of China's "Top Ten Cities for Tourist Satisfaction" for multiple consecutive years, and its brand as "the city that best pampers tourists" is widely recognized.

From cultural tourism work to a pillar industry. The positioning of cultural tourism has shifted profoundly. Chongqing's 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly proposes "promoting cultural tourism to become an important pillar industry." The Chongqing 15th Five-Year Cultural Tourism Development Plan (2026–2030) sets a further goal: by 2030, major economic indicators such as the added value of cultural and related industries will rank among the top nationwide, providing a "Chongqing model" for high-quality cultural tourism development across China.

Cultural tourism is no longer merely an embellishment of "poetry and distant places". It is a key engine for economic growth, consumer market activation, and opening-up.

Shortcomings That Must Be Addressed

Against the corridor's positioning as a "national highland for cultural tourism innovation and reform," a "national model for coordinated cultural and tourism development," and a "world-class leisure tourism destination," several shortcomings remain.

Fragmented coordination. The corridor spans different administrative regions and management entities, each with distinct interests. Some districts and counties still compete more than they cooperate, and cross-regional projects often progress slowly because collaboration is shallow. If dispersed resources cannot be transformed into jointly built and shared products, cooperation will remain at the level of "physical connectivity" rather than achieving "chemical integration."

Rich resources, weak branding. Chongqing has a deep cultural tourism endowment, but it has not fully converted resource advantages into brand strength. The Three Gorges cruise route, for instance, lacks strong links to surrounding provinces and municipalities. Across the board, benchmark cultural tourism IPs with national influence and mature premium tourism loops remain scarce. Holding quality resources does not guarantee market-ready products; viral popularity does not ensure lasting reputation.

Large volume, insufficient quality. With over 500 million annual tourist visits, Chongqing has a solid customer base. But structural weaknesses persist: supply of multifunctional, composite cultural tourism consumption is relatively limited, homogenization of cultural creative products and specialty dining is prominent, and inbound consumption has substantial room for growth. Traffic advantages do not automatically translate into value advantages.

Raising the Level

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Chongqing will continue to build the "Majestic Landscapes, New Charm Chongqing" brand, accelerate landmark achievements in the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, and develop a culturally strong city with international style, Chinese character, and Chongqing flavor.

Broaden the spatial framework. At the physical level, Chongqing needs to revitalize historical towns and cultural sites in its western region, leverage the natural resources of southeastern Chongqing, and upgrade three major landscape belts: the thousand-year Chengdu-Chongqing Ancient Road, the magnificent Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, and the colorful ethnic customs of Wuling. At the collaborative level, Sichuan and Chongqing should deepen mechanisms for platform connectivity, mutual recognition of standards, joint brand building, and project co-construction, improving the "enter via Chongqing, exit via Chengdu; enter via Chengdu, exit via Chongqing" passenger flow sharing model.

Deepen the cultural dimension. Culture cannot remain static; it must evolve into distinctive IP, industrial growth drivers, and immersive consumption experiences. Chongqing's red heritage and diverse ethnic cultures are natural advantages for cultivating cultural tourism IPs. Existing brands such as "Kuan Hong Da Liang," "Zi Zu Chang Le," and "Dian Shi Cheng Jin" should be further elevated into iconic cultural IPs that people can participate in, consume, and share.

Elevate the industrial level. Building this corridor is not just about giving tourists another destination—it is about giving Chongqing another economic driver, enterprises new opportunities, residents additional income streams, and life new ways to unfold. This requires improving the "fast travel, slow touring" system, expanding the "15-minute high-quality cultural life circle," advancing cultural tourism projects that enrich the people, and continuing to polish the "city that best pampers tourists" brand.

A corridor connects mountains and waters, communicates hearts, and drives development. From landscapes meeting to industries growing together, from tourists checking in to hosts and guests sharing, the story of Bashu cultural tourism continues to unfold.