Huangyao Ancient Town in Hezhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. [Photo/huangyao.cn]

Hezhou signed nine cultural and tourism industry projects, worth a total value of 7.3 billion yuan ($1.03 billion), at a promotion conference held in Guangzhou, Guangdong province by the Guangxi Culture and Tourism Department and related departments of Hezhou.

The investment promotion conference on the culture and tourism industry of Guangxi (Hezhou) and Huangyao Ancient Town Culture and Tourism Industry Demonstration Area was of great significance to plan, promote, and attract investment in the cultural and tourism industries in Hezhou to form an industry cluster, drive tourism consumption, as well as promote the integration and development of Hezhou's cultural tourism industry.

In recent years, relying on its unique natural conditions, good location advantages, and profound cultural heritage, Hezhou has developed its cultural tourism based on Huangyao Ancient Town. It has explored a unique way of combining culture and travel through multiple measures. Hezhou also promotes tourism culture in Huangyao Ancient Town, such as enriching cultural content in the construction of cultural tourism projects, tourism product planning, and service reception.

In addition to Huangyao Ancient Town, other tourist attractions in Hezhou are also exploring the path of integration for culture and tourism, such as the combination of Yao ethnic culture and traditional songs.

Cultural characteristics have driven the development of Hezhou's tourism industry. Last year, Hezhou received a total of 32.53 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 47.2 percent. The total tourism consumption was 39.62 billion yuan, up 45.34 percent year-on-year.