The 16th Anhui International Culture and Tourism Festival Kicks Off in Hefei

On the afternoon of November 10, the 16th Anhui International Culture and Tourism Festival opened in Hefei. Wang Dongwei, acting governor of Anhui Province, delivered an address and announced the opening of the festival. Sun Yong, vice governor of Anhui Province, presided over the ceremony. Representatives of the guest country of honor, the guest province of honor, UN Tourism, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the World Tourism Alliance delivered speeches. Around 850 guests from home and abroad attended the event.

Opening Ceremony Venue
Courtesy of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Anhui Province

Hosted by the People’s Government of Anhui Province, this edition of the festival features three major themes: public benefit and enjoyment, international exchanges and industrial integration. Thirteen key events are being rolled out across the province in a coordinated effort, including the Enjoy Anhui · Culture and Tourism Consumption Season for Public Benefit, the Anhui Inbound Tourism Matchmaking Conference and the Leisure & Vacation Conference. The opening ceremony gala took place at Anhui Baixi City. Stage performances such as the theatrical piece Quest for the Cosmos, the Huangmei opera The Heavenly Maids Scatter Blossoms, and the Hui opera Ancient Rhythms, New Voices showcased Anhui’s millennia-old cultural heritage and its dynamic innovation in science and technology.

Opera medley at the opening ceremony gala. Courtesy of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Anhui Province

Curtain call of the opening ceremony gala. Courtesy of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Anhui Province

A series of events are taking place around the festival period, including Hefei’s “Hundred Operas in Anhui”, Anqing Huangmei Opera Performance Week, and the 38th Ma’anshan Li Bai Poetry Festival. The 2026 RCEP Conference on Cultural and Tourism Exchange and Promotion for World Heritage Sites will be held in Huangshan from November 11 to 14. Zhang Xu, chairman of the World Tourism Alliance, noted that this festival reflects Anhui’s strong commitment to expanding high-level opening-up and deepening international cultural and tourism cooperation.