On November 23^rd, the 7^th "Maritime Silk Road" (Fuzhou) International Tourism Festival was held in Fujian. It’s hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Fujian Provincial Government and was organized by Fujian Culture and Tourism Department and Fuzhou Municipal Government. The festival was an important measure for Fujian to build the core zone of the Maritime Silk Road of the 21^st century. Zhang Xu, vice culture and tourism minister, delivered a speech through video. Guo Ningning, vice governor and member of the standing committee of Fujian provincial CPC committee, delivered a speech. Other attendees included Lin Baojin, member of the standing committee of Fujian Provincial CPC committee and secretary of Fuzhou CPC committee, Mr. Simon P. Adovelande, Benin’s ambassador to China, Mr. Atthayut Srisamut, Thailand’s ambassador to China, Mr.Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka’s ambassador to China, and the consul of the Consulate General of Russia in Guangzhou.

    Zhang Xu said that the Maritime Silk Road International Festival had been held for 6 years consecutively. It’s a comprehensive international tourism festival with the “Maritime Silk Road” as the theme, offering a cooperation platform for tourism in an area with advantages of international exhibition, complementary advantages and mutual benefit. It increased the exchanges and cooperation of participating countries and regions. The international tourism festival provided a change to show the diverse culture of nations and regions along the route, so their tourism potential could be released and the tourism cooperation of the “Maritime Silk Road” could be developed to higher level with higher quality. It’s expected that the international festival would expand the “friend circle” of the Maritime Silk Road; enhance the people-to-people communication between countries along the route and neighbouring countries and support the the inclusiveness, innovation and sustainable development of the tourism along the Maritime Silk Road, so as to contribute to the recovery and development of the global tourism.

    Guo Ningning said that Fujian was the core zone of the 21^st century Maritime Silk Road. In recent years, the Fujian provincial government and the provincial party committee had been implementing the “belt and road” initiative brought up be the general secretary Xi Jinping and the spirit of the important speech of the 3^rd “belt and road” construction forum. Relating departments has been following principles of extensive consultation, mutual construction and shared benefit to launch representative projects of sea transportation, cultural Maritime Silk Road and digital Maritime Silk Road, so as to make the city an important hub of the road, a leading platform of trade and economic cooperation, a significant connection of people-to-people connection and a leading area of innovation and opening-up.

    The theme of the launch ceremony was “mutual construction of the Maritime Silk Road and mutual promotion of cultural and tourism prosperity”. It was composed of 3 chapters linking multiple processes of the international exhibition of Fujian culture, the establishment of the authoritative Fuzhou data and the mutual comment of the Maritime Silk Road, all of which indicated the result of the international festival.

    In “Fuzhou culture and tourism promotion”, a show was going on. The presenter was telling the connection of history of Fuzhou and the culture of the “Maritime Silk Road”. The huge screen in the hall showed the “three lanes and seven alleys”, Fushan County Park, ships in Minjiang River and so on. They together told the story of the happy city from different perspectives and present the unique cultural and tourism resource of Fuzhou and Fujian.

    This Maritime Silk Road International Tourism Festival was held with the theme of “mutual construction of the Maritime Silk Road and mutual promotion of cultural and tourism prosperity”. The event included the launch ceremony and the cultural and tourism cooperation summit, “an amazing night of the Maritime Silk Road” cultural and tourism experience event, “love tourism, love life” 2021 Fujian tourism fair and so on, lasting till the middle part of December.

    The cultural and tourism cooperation summit was composed of a round table summit and multiple sub-forum centered around the theme of a “cooperation mechanism of cultural and tourism market along the Maritime Silk Road with extensive consultation and mutual construction”. Guests could discuss the core of the integrated development of tourism and cultural industry of the Maritime Silk Road.

    Xu Haoen, vice chairman of the Congo International Chamber of Commerce, said during the interview that he hopes the participation in the international festival could support the implementation of the “belt and road initiative”. He hoped that there would be a belt for trade and economic cooperation and people-to-people communication between African countries with Fuzhou as a start.

    There would be many events in the Maritime Silk Road" (Fuzhou) International Tourism Festival, aiming to build a cultural communication belt of the Maritime Silk Road. The “Amazing night of Maritime Silk Road” would bring immerse performance and a market for cultural tourism of the Maritime Silk Road.