The Chengdu International Cultural Exchange Center
On January 7th, the "Nihao, Chengdu" Global Salon Launching Ceremony, hosted by the Information Office of the Chengdu Municipal Government, Chengdu Opening-up and International Cooperation Center and Chengdu International Cultural Exchange Center, took place simultaneously in Chengdu, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. With world-renowned hot pot restaurants serving as venues, the event marked the official kick-off of the "Nihao, Chengdu" Global Salon program.
The "Nihao, Chengdu" Global Salon program is designed to establish a new platform conducive to culture and tourism exchange, and economic and trade cooperation. Relying on the establishments of Chengdu's companies abroad, such salons are being organized across the globe to help showcase Chengdu's image, promote interactions in culture, tourism, economic and trade, and strengthen the city's international cooperation capacity.
The main venue of the first batch of global salons has been set up at the Yinshi Square branch of Hai Di Lao hot pot in Chengdu, while overseas venues currently include Hai Di Lao branches at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok centralworld.
"Gastronomy is one of Chengdu's top calling cards when it comes to international exchange," a person in charge of the program explains. Choosing Hai Di Lao restaurants as initial trial sites for hosting global salons both highlights the reputation and function of Chengdu cuisine, especially hot pot, in terms of foreign communication, and meanwhile takes advantage of Hai Di Lao's worldwide network of outlets to further expand the impact of "Nihao, Chengdu" Global Salon.
"As one of the top must-see Chinese cities in the eyes of foreigners in 2024, searches related to Chengdu's giant panda, historical culture and unique sceneries have exploded exponentially on travel service website Ctrip. With the continuous opening of more "Nihao, Chengdu" Global Salons abroad, no doubt interests in traveling to Chengdu tourism will continue to trend higher," said Lu Yang, Global Affairs General Manager from Ctrip, who was on-site at the event. At present, Ctrip's overseas platforms are targeting foreigner tourists from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and other nations by rolling out services such as reservation options for Chengdu's tourist routes and detailed introductions to the city's destinations.
Data indicate that between January and November 2024, the city of Chengdu received a cumulative total of 1.472 million inbound tourists, a year-on-year surge of 163.8%. Amongst them, the top five origins of inbound travelers are Malaysia, Thailand, the U.S., Vietnam, and the Republic of Korea.
Source: The Chengdu International Cultural Exchange Center