Beijing signs tourism deals with Zhejiang province

Beijing and eastern Zhejiang province signed tourism deals worth more than 200 million yuan ($28.89 million) on June 13.

The deals cover major tourism destinations across Zhejiang, such as Wuzhen, Huzhou and Wenzhou. Travel agencies on both sides would work together to boost tourism in those places.

The cooperation is part of Zhejiang's efforts to reach travelers from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei economic zone and build itself into China's best travel destination, the Zhejiang provincial culture and tourism authority says.

Connected by a grand canal for more than 2,500 years, Zhejiang has drawn tons of travelers from the capital for its sites, such as the West Lake and the Leifeng Pagoda.

Last year, the province received more than 10 million tourist visits from Beijing, according to the provincial culture and tourism authority.

Known as a land of fish and rice, the province has an interesting history and culture, with many historical poets leaving their footprints there including Bai Juyi from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and Su Dongpo from the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Zhejiang now has approximately 3,000 tourist attractions, including 17 national top-rated scenic spots.

The West Lake in its capital Hangzhou and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal are UNESCO world heritage sites.

The provincial government is committed to upgrading Zhejiang.

It raked in 690 million travel visits in 2018, up 8.7 percent as compared with the previous year.

Meanwhile, Zhejiang will develop a series of tourism belts featuring Maritime Silk Road, gourmet food, poems and ecological elements this year, the provincial culture and tourism authority says.

At the same time, the local government will invest 100 billion yuan in the culture and tourism industry this year.