On October 30, the launch ceremony for the 2026 “High-Speed Rail Getaways · Golden Partners” Yangtze River Delta High‑Speed Rail Tourist Destinations Joint Promotion Campaign took place in Zhangjiagang. A total of 42 cross‑regional and 12 intra‑Jiangsu travel routes were unveiled on site, covering five themes: ancient towns, wellness, culture, intangible cultural heritage, and family tours.

Since Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Anhui jointly launched the selection of high-speed-rail-accessible, tourist-favoured destinations in 2021, 100 characteristic counties and districts have stood out after three years of development. In 2026, Jiangsu takes the lead to collaborate with Shanghai, Zhejiang and Anhui in rolling out the “High-Speed Rail Getaways · Golden Partners” promotion initiative and developing a host of 2‑to‑4‑day micro‑vacation packages. More than 100 routes were submitted for selection. Following route collection, expert planning and public voting, 42 cross‑regional routes were shortlisted. Grouped under five themes of “Water Charm of Jiangnan · Dreaming of Ancient Towns”, “Eco-Wellness & Nature Retreats”, “Cultural Trails & Historic Heritage”, “Taste of Craftsmanship & ICH”, and “Rural Adventures & Family Getaways”, these routes connect ancient towns, natural landscapes, cultural landmarks, intangible cultural heritage sites and parent-child study resources of small cities in the Yangtze River Delta region. They foster cross‑regional partnerships, complement each other’s resource strengths and jointly develop tourism offerings.

Going forward, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Anhui will continue to refine these routes, deepen cross‑regional resource sharing and tourist exchange, and translate the edge of high‑speed rail connectivity into growth momentum for the cultural and tourism sector. Online, influencers will be invited to serve as “Curators of Local Lifestyles”, creating short videos, photo-and-text posts and livestream content, while cultural and tourism authorities, railway operators and media partners join forces for integrated promotion. Offline, an experience zone for local lifestyles will open at the Oriental Pearl City Plaza in Shanghai in March 2027. Leveraging the national high‑speed rail network, a joint campaign of city clusters will also be rolled out to raise the national profile of small cities (counties and districts) in the Yangtze River Delta region.