Deals valued at 10.69 billion yuan were signed at an investment promotion event of Yunnan tourism on Nov. 6 during the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai. 

Nearly 200 representatives from various government departments, tourist investment companies, and tourist agencies attended the event, while the Yunnan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism signed a cooperation agreement in promoting tourism resources and products of the two regions. 

The tourism industry associations of Yunnan province and Shanghai also signed a cooperation agreement to give full play to their role, strengthen exchanges and cooperation, and jointly promote the cultural tourism industry of the two regions. The cooperation aims to develop new tourism products and business formats, optimize tourism product structure and system, unblock supply and demand channels, and jointly promote the construction of a credit system for the cultural and tourism industry. 

Besides the herd of wandering Asian elephants that attracted the world's attention earlier this year, Yunnan province is also home to many of China's most stunning tourist destinations, such as Shangri-La and Xishuangbanna. With a diverse ecology, animals, climate, geography, and ethnic groups, Yunnan has a unique appeal and many unexplored tourist destinations hidden among its mountains. 

Yuan Bing, president of the Yunnan Tourist Association, said that Shanghai is at the forefront of new technologies, new business formats, and new consumption concepts in the tourism industry. Meanwhile, Yunnan can provide consumers with high-quality personalized products. As such, the exchanges between Yunnan and Shanghai stand to promote and benefit each other. 

"The CIIE is a very significant event. I hope that more Shanghai friends as well as domestic and foreign entrepreneurs can have a deeper understanding of Yunnan, accelerate the development of the tourism industry through cooperation, and promote the exchange of tourist sources between the two sides," Yuan said. 

In addition, cities and prefectures of Yunnan such as Lijiang, Dali, Pu'er, and Xishuangbanna signed deals with a number of prominent enterprises and investors, including the China Tourism Group, JD.com, and BOE Technology Group. According to Yunnan authorities, the province in southwest China plans to build Great West Yunnan Circular Tour and develop new cultural tourism products as well as push for building high-quality rural and urban hotels. It invites companies at home and abroad to join the journey, with supporting policies and an increasingly optimized business environment. 

At the CIIE, many Yunnan enterprises, including 16 time-honored brands ranging from traditional Chinese medicine and food to intangible heritage items, presented their products at their respective exhibition booths.