Shenzhen culture giant to bolster Xi'an tourism

Cultural enterprise OCT Group signed a strategic partnership agreement with the Xi'an government on June 19 to help the northwestern city develop its cultural tourism industry.

Under the agreement, the state-owned enterprise headquartered in Shenzhen will invest approximately 238 billion yuan ($34.9 billion) into several Xi'an projects, the biggest investment by the group in three years.

The projects include the development of a national-level ecological tourist resort, a themed cultural attraction, urban renewal projects, and financial cooperation.

OCT general manager Duan Xiannian, said the company's strategic cooperation with Xi'an signals that it will participate in the development of the city's cultural industry and reconstruction of its landscape.

The group will integrate culture, tourism and urbanization and make use of its years of experience in city planning and management to enhance Xi'an's cultural tourism to a new level, Duan said.

Xi'an Party Chief Wang Yongkang said the cooperation is a pragmatic move to implement the Belt and Road Initiative.The initiative, aims at strengthening international economic and trade cooperation and deepening friendship between people of different cultures. It is also seen as a move to revive the old Silk Road, which began in Xi'an.

Xi'an is a historical city in Shaanxi province which is renowned for its cultural and tourism resources. It ranked third in a list of most popular Chinese destinations among inbound tourists, according to a 2016 report by online travel portal Ctrip.

Shenzhen-based OCT Group signs a strategic partnership agreement with Xi'an government on June 19. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]