What will happen when international friends experience the Chinese New Year and traditional Lantern Festival in Flower City Guangzhou? What stories will they make?

From February 21st to 25th, more than 70 renowned international travelers and their families from 18 cities in 17 countries, including Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Dubai in the UAE, Auckland in New Zealand, New York and Los Angeles in the United States, Sydney in Australia, Moscow in Russia, Delhi in India, Tokyo in Japan, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Bangkok in Thailand, Singapore, Hanoi in Vietnam, Rome in Italy, London in the United Kingdom, Nairobi in Kenya, Seoul inSouth Korea, and Islamabad in Pakistan, embarked on a 5-day journey to explore Guangzhou.

With the recovery of international flights to and from China and the facilitative measures for foreigners traveling to China, the range of visa-free countries has been expanding. Since the beginning of 2024, the inbound tourism market has seen a rapid recovery. According to the travel report of the Chinese New Year holiday from the online travel services provider Trip.com, both outbound and inbound tourism orders during the holiday exceeded the same period in 2019, with a 48% growth in inbound tourism compared to 2019.

As a national central city and a comprehensive gateway city, Guangzhou embraces an inclusive and open-minded spirit. It appeals to visitors from various countries with rich tourismresourcescarrying the cultural emotions and shared memories of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, ranking among the popular inbound travel destinations.

To impress international friends visiting Guangzhou, the organizers carefully prepared and created a premium itinerary with Cantonese culture and Lingnan characteristics, covering traditional Cantonese temple fairs, Lingnan-style cuisine, and the traditional customs of the Chinese Lantern Festival.

The itinerary included must-visit landmarks such as the Canton Tower, Baiyun Mountain, and Flower City Square. Participants also experienced the history of the ancient city's cultural heritage through visits to the Lingnan Impression Garden, Yongqing Fang, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Shennong Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the new Guangzhou Cultural & Art Center. Additionally, they enjoyed a "fashion" tour with a night cruise on the Pearl River.

The itinerary was specially tailored to include a food tour featuring traditional Cantonese cuisine and Lingnan-style dim sum. On the night of the Lantern Festival, the Guangzhou cultural and tourism promotion dinnerwereheld at the Dong Fang Hotel Guangzhou. Many international friends participated in lantern riddle activity and experienced intangible culturalheritagesand Chinese traditional cultures such as Han-style clothing, sugar painting, paper cutting, handprint art, Cantonese delicacy, and Chinese calligraphy. The event provided a memorable Lantern Festival celebration for all involved.

Source:Yangcheng Evening News

70余名国际友人畅游花城广州，欢度元宵佳节

当来自不同国家的国际友人遇上中国年、传统元宵佳节，他们在花城广州会擦出怎样的火花？留下怎样的故事？

2月21日至25日，来自荷兰阿姆斯特丹、阿联酋迪拜、新西兰奥克兰、美国纽约、美国洛杉矶、澳大利亚悉尼、俄罗斯莫斯科、印度德里、日本东京、马来西亚吉隆坡、泰国曼谷、新加坡、越南河内、意大利罗马、英国伦敦、肯尼亚内罗毕、韩国首尔、巴基斯坦伊斯兰堡等17个国家的18个城市、共70余名国际旅游知名人士及家属，开启为期5天的花城之旅。

随着国际航班加速恢复，外籍人员来华便利措施不断丰富，免签“朋友圈”持续壮大，2024年以来，入境游市场加速回暖。携程春节旅行报告显示，龙年春节出境游、入境游订单均超过2019年同期，其中入境游较2019年增长48%。

作为国家中心城市和综合性门户城市，广州拥有兼容并包的开放精神，承载着粤港澳大湾区文化情感和共同记忆的丰富旅游资源备受各国游客喜爱，位列入境游热门目的地。

为给国际友人留下美好的广州印象，此次活动中，主办方结合广府文化、岭南特色，精心筹备并打造了一条涵盖传统广府庙会、岭南特色美食、中国元宵节传统年俗的精品游玩线路。

行程包含打卡广州塔、白云山、花城广场的“地标”之旅，到岭南印象园、永庆坊、陈家祠、神农草堂、新文化馆等感受古城文化底蕴的“历史”之旅，以及珠江夜游等“时尚”之旅。

行程还特别定制了品尝传统粤菜、岭南特色点心的美食之旅，在元宵节当晚于东方宾馆举办的广州文旅推介晚宴暨传统元宵节体验活动中，众多国际友人参与了汉服体验、糖画、剪纸、手掌画、粤菜师傅美食、书法等非遗及传统文化展示及元宵猜灯谜活动，度过了一个难忘的元宵佳节。

文、图、视频 | 记者 刘星彤 实习生 何文涛
翻译 | 赵凡