Recently, the cultural and tourism departments of three provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui and Shanghai City in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region have jointly unveiled 100 seasonal cultural tourism products, 138 tourism routes, over 700 cultural tourism attractions, and more than 400 hotels and boutique homestays, all organized around 10 distinctive themes. 

The YRD region is a key area for concentrated cultural and tourism resources in China. From 2021 to 2023, the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism of Jiangsu, in collaboration with those of Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Anhui, launched three rounds of selection and promotion campaigns, identifying 100 high-speed rail tourism towns in the region. This year, the cultural and tourism departments of the three provinces and one city jointly initiated the “100 high-speed rail tourism towns” promotional campaign. 

The 10 themes incorporate the latest tourism products emerging across the YRD region in recent years, highlighting the market’s preferences for short-distance, high-frequency, and personalized “micro-vacations.” These themes include “Waterside Scenery,” “Charm of Ancient Towns,” “Harmonious Countryside,” “Leisure Resort,” “Health & Wellness,” “Red Culture,” “Journey Through History,” “Flourishing Intangible Heritage,” “Knowledge Exploration,” and “City Adventures.” Among the 138 tourism routes developed around these themes, 12 are in Shanghai, 42 in Jiangsu, 42 in Zhejiang, and 42 in Anhui. These routes encompass resources such as mountains, seas, lakes, and forests, as well as themes like hot springs, cuisine, culture, red tourism, wellness, industry, and rural experiences, catering to the diverse needs of different groups of travelers.