Wild azalea tourism festival kicks off in Jilin

The opening ceremony for the 2019 Jilin Longwan Wild Azalea Tourism Festival is held at the Longwanqun National Forest Park in Jilin province, on April 30. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2019 Jilin Longwan Wild Azalea Tourism Festival opened at Longwanqun National Forest Park in Tonghua city, Northeast China's Jilin province, on April 30.

Running from May 1 to 31, the festival is being hosted by the Jilin forestry and grassland bureau, the Jilin culture and tourism department, and the Tonghua municipal people's government –– and being organized by the Huinan county government and the Jilin Longwan National Nature Reserve Administration.

After having been held for consecutive 12 sessions, the festival has become an important ecological tourism event in Jilin province.

This year's festival offers various breaks and ticket discounts, such as free admission for national-level model workers from Jilin province, a 50 percent discount for tour groups organized by travel agencies and for so-called "red" tourism groups –– that is, tourism related to the Chinese revolution –– as well as a 25 percent discount for regular tourists.

Jilin Longwanqun National Forest Park, located in Huinan county of Tonghua city, is a national 4A eco-tourism scenic spot that offers recreational activities, forests, wetlands, scientific investigations, and red tourism. It covers an area of 8,102 hectares.

Also on the schedule is a photography exhibition, as well as a concert, and a meeting for travel agencies in the province. All these are expected to help accelerate its local socioeconomic development and boost the growth of local eco-tourism.

Wild azaleas are in full blossom at Longwanqun National Forest Park in Jilin province. [Photo/Xinhua]

Visitors flock to the azalea tourism festival in Tonghua city, Jilin province, on April 30. [Photo/Xinhua]