China National Tourist Office, London

CNTO London Visits Newcastle for Cultural and Tourism Exchange, Exploring Beiyang Fleet Heritage and Boost Practical Sino-British Cooperation

From 27 to 28 May, a delegation led by Zhang Li, Director of the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) London, and Pan Hang, Assistant Director of CNTO London, visited Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. The delegation met with local cultural and museum institutions, tourism authorities, and historical heritage conservation organisations.

They engaged in face-to-face discussions focusing on the protection and utilisation of the Beiyang Fleet’s overseas relics, the alignment of Sino-British cultural and tourism resources, the joint curation of museum exhibitions, and the two-way exchange of tourism markets. Relying on the profound historical ties between the two regions, the visit aimed to deepen and solidify cultural and tourism cooperation between the North East of England and China.

China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair

ICIF is the only national standard, international and integrated cultural fair in China, which is approved by UFI (The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry), and it is China's earliest-established and largest-scale cultural industry fair.

Since its establishment in Shenzhen in 2004, ICIF has always adhered to righteousness and innovation and consistently centered on exhibitions and transactions, striving to build a platform for trading Chinese cultural products and projects while promoting and driving the development of China's cultural industry. The exhibition area has grown from 45,000 square meters at the first edition to 160,000 square meters at the 21st edition. The number of exhibitors has increased from more than 700 to 6,280 at the 21st edition. And the number of participating countries and regions has risen from 10 to 110 at the 21st edition. In recent years, the ICIF has attracted over 120,000 cultural and creative products from around the world each year, along with more than 4,000 cultural industry investment and financing projects showcased and traded on-site. Its influence now extends to over 100 countries and regions worldwide. The ICIF has become the largest scale, the highest specification, most effective and most influential exhibition in the field of China’s cultural industries. It serves as a vital engine driving China's cultural industry development, a key platform for promoting Chinese culture, and an important window for expanding the opening-up of the cultural sector. Its status as ‘The Top Cultural Fair in China’ continues to solidify, and it is striving to become ‘The Top Cultural Fair in the world’.

“Nihao! China” Campaign Features in Glasgow as CNTO London Deepens Tourism Marketing Collaboration in Scotland

On 21 May, as a key component of the UK promotional campaign for the 16th “China Tourism Day” in 2026, a delegation led by Zhang Li, Director of the China National Tourists Office (CNTO) London, travelled to Glasgow, Scotland, to attend the Glasgow leg of the ANTOR (Association of National Tourist Office Representatives) tourism industry workshop.

Centred around the theme “Enjoy Quality Travel, Explore Scenic Land”, the event delivered in-depth presentations and networking opportunities tailored for the Scottish tourism trade. The initiative aims to further deepen tourism cooperation between China, the UK, and Scotland, while continuing to boost the growing interest among British tourists visiting China.

During the visit, Director Zhang Li and his delegation also paid official visits to the Glasgow Tourism Board and related tourism promotion agencies, holding working discussions with Anne-Marie Gray, Tourism and Sustainability Manager at Glasgow Life, and
Anna Young, Head of Tourism Marketing for Glasgow, among others. The two sides engaged in in-depth communication regarding the recovery of the Chinese and Scottish tourism markets, city tourism promotion, growth trends in international visitors, and future opportunities for collaboration.

“Nihao! China” Campaign Comes to Manchester as UK Tourism to China Continues to Gain Momentum

On 20 May local time, coinciding with the 16th “China Tourism Day” activities, the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) London travelled to Manchester to participate in the Association of National Tourist Office Representatives (ANTOR) industry promotion event, promoting China’s cultural and tourism resources to the travel industry in Northern England. This event helped widely disseminate the “Nihao! China” national tourism image and steadily boosted interest in UK tourism to China.

CNTO London Features at ANTOR Tourism Industry Showcase

On 18 May local time, the Association of National Tourist Offices in the UK (ANTOR) held its annual industry showcase London session as scheduled. Coinciding with the arrival of the 16th “China Tourism Day”, Zhang Li, Director of the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) London, and Pan Hang, Assistant Director of CNTO London, attended and featured at the event. Centred around the theme “Enjoy Quality Travel, Explore Scenic Land”, they carried out China cultural and tourism promotions, working together to deepen practical collaboration between China and the UK in the cultural and tourism sectors.
During the country presentation segment, the CNTO London showcased the latest cultural and tourism promotional video, “China Travel — Nihao! China”, on-site. They provided detailed introductions to the latest developmental achievements, such as visa optimization and facilitation, digital payment applications, and smart travel services, vividly showcasing the diverse cultural and tourism charm of China, where ancient cultural heritage, urban landscapes, and ecological scenery harmoniously coexist. The presentation earned unanimous praise and high recognition from the attending guests.

From Xu Xiake to a Global Trend: Encountering the Beauty of China in London on the 16th China Tourism Day
May 19th, a day synonymous with poetry and distant horizons, marked the 16th ‘China Tourism Day’. 413 years ago, Xu Xiake embarked on a journey from the West Gate of Ninghai, measuring the vast rivers and mountains with his footsteps and penning travelogues that have echoed through the ages.

Today, under the theme ‘Enjoy Quality Tourism, Journey to Beautiful Landscapes Together’, the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) London has sincerely brought the poetic landscapes and vibrant local essence of China to the streets of the UK, igniting a surging enthusiasm for travel to China.

London Promotional Event: Visa-Free Benefits Ignite Travel Enthusiasm

On May 19th, local time in London, a vibrant promotional event dedicated to Chinese tourism was grandly launched. CNTO London, in collaboration with the renowned UK-based China travel specialist Wendy Wu Tours, invited over 60 key travel agencies and industry representatives from across the UK to gather and explore new opportunities within Chinese tourism.

The 2026 London Craft Week China Pavilion Opens: Eastern Craftsmanship Blooms in the New Era and Women’s Ingenuity Spreads the Beauty of China

On May 12th, the China Pavilion of the 2026 London Craft Week officially opened at the Royal Mint Court in London. With the theme of Those Who Make China Beautiful, this year’s China Pavilion focuses on Chinese female handicraft creators and intangible cultural heritage inheritors. The exhibition featured wedding costumes, ethnic embroidery, auspicious patterns, and contemporary craft innovation. It integrated the thousand-year-old Eastern context with contemporary design expression to present a credible, lovely and respectable Chinese image to the world. Helping to promote China’s excellent traditional culture overseas and continuing to write a new chapter of exchanges and mutual learning between China and the United Kingdom.

Building a Bridge for Culture and Tourism: CNTO London Visits Northern Ireland

From 7 to 9 May 2026, Zhang Li, Director of the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) London, and Pan Hang, Assistant to the Director, led a delegation to Northern Ireland for a visit and exchange.

They engaged in in-depth discussions with the Belfast City Council, Tourism Northern Ireland, Visit Belfast, as well as key local tourism enterprises and cultural institutions. Multiple consensuses were reached on core topics including two-way tourism promotion, mutual tourist exchanges, and service optimisation, injecting strong momentum into deepening pragmatic cultural and tourism cooperation among China, the UK, and Northern Ireland.