On the evening of September 16, the 14th China Yangtze Three Gorges International Tourism Festival opened in Yichang. Rao Quan, member of the party group and vice minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Dan Yanzheng, vice mayor of Chongqing Municipal Government, attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Ju Zhaohui, member of the Standing Committee of Hubei Provincial Committee of CPC and Minister of Propaganda Department, announced the opening ceremony, and Zhang Wentong, vice governor of Hubei Province, presided over the opening ceremony.

Rao Quan congratulated on the opening of the festival. He said that the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River is located in the combination of the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River, assuming an important role in undertaking the middle reaches to open up the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with a unique geographic location, magnificent natural scenery, and a better development trend. Accelerating the development of the Three Gorges region of the Yangtze River is of special significance for the full implementation of the development strategy of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the promotion of coordinated regional development. For more than a decade, Hubei Province and Chongqing Municipality have deepened their cooperation around co-organizing the Yangtze River Three Gorges International Tourism Festival, jointly shaping the tourism brand of the Yangtze River Three Gorges and jointly building the Yangtze River National Cultural Park, which has played a positive role in promoting the protection of the Yangtze River and the construction of ecological civilization, boosting the economic and social development of the Three Gorges region, and enhancing the well-being of the people. It is hoped that the two places will make full use of this platform to carry out pragmatic cooperation in wider fields, at deeper and higher levels, and realize win-win cooperation, mutual benefits and progress hand in hand.

But Yan Zheng said, Chongqing and Hubei are connected by mountains and water, and the humanities are close to each other. We will always bear in mind the general secretary Xi Jinping on the protection of inheritance and carry forward the Yangtze River culture entrusted to China Yangtze River Three Gorges International Tourism Festival as a medium, continue to deepen the cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation, and continue to pass on the Yangtze River Three Gorges with the water of the deep affection and friendship.　

Xiong Zhengyu, secretary of Yichang Municipal Party Committee, said in his welcoming speech that the festival will be used as a platform to take the initiative to dock with Chongqing and other cities along the Yangtze River, continue to amplify the advantages of the world-class Three Gorges, the world-class engineering, the world-class culture, and jointly promote the construction of the Yangtze River National Cultural Park, and strive to make the Yangtze River International Golden Tourism Belt into a world-class tourist destination.

With the theme of "Green Yangtze River and Magnificent Three Gorges", the festival will be held in Yichang from September 16th to 27th. During the festival, 18 activities will be held, including the opening ceremony and music, dance and poetry performances, the 2023 Hubei-Chongqing Chairperson's Meeting, the 9th Yangtze River Piano Music Festival, the 9th Hubei Yichang (Yiling) Citrus Festival, the Hubei-Zhaojun Cultural and Tourism Festival, the Hubei-Dangyang Guan Yu Cultural and Tourism Festival & Guan Yu Tomb Temple Fair, the  Hubei Qingjiang Open Water Swimming Invitational and the 8th "Hubei Changyang - Qingjiang Gallery" Open Water Swimming Challenge, etc.

China Yangtze River Three Gorges International Tourism Festival is a large-scale tourism festival approved by the state and co-sponsored by Hubei Provincial People's Government and Chongqing Municipal People's Government. Since 2010, it has been organized in Hubei Province and Chongqing Municipality through "annual rotation", and has become a nationally renowned cultural and tourism festival brand. Over the past ten years, Hubei Province and Chongqing Municipality have deepened their cooperation around jointly organizing the Yangtze River Three Gorges International Tourism Festival, jointly shaping the tourism brand of Yangtze River Three Gorges and jointly building the Yangtze River National Cultural Park, which has played a positive role in promoting the protection of Yangtze River and the construction of ecological civilization, facilitating the economic and social development of Three Gorges region, and enhancing the well-being of the people.