(Photo/Yu Ping)

The opening ceremony of the 15th Jiangsu Rural Tourism Festival, a signature project to boost travel at the countryside, will take place in Dantu District of Zhenjiang City on April 19.

This tourism festival will feature the 24 Solar Terms, created thousands of years ago by the ancient Chinese to guide agricultural production. It will promote integration of cultural services, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) preservation, art shows and performances. Running throughout the year, the provincewide festival will highlight folk customs as well.

Jiangsu’s rural areas are perfect for year-round travel. The province plans to showcase travel products and routes for travelers to enjoy the best of every season.

From now until the end of May, the province will carry out activities including flower-appreciation, hiking, sports, and cultural experience. The summer campaign from June to the end of August will highlight folk performances, music festivals and camping events. September and October will feature farm-related activities such as rice harvesting, fruit picking and fishing, along with the exhibition and sales of agricultural products. The winter campaign from November to January will focus on ICH activities, such as paper-cutting and lantern-making. Products integrating local flavors and artistic creation will be promoted during this period to create a joyful and peaceful atmosphere for the New Year celebration.

According to a platform monitoring cultural and tourism development, the province's 195 key villages of rural tourism received a total of 41.81 million tourist visits in the first quarter of the year, generating tourism revenue of 13.7 billion yuan, an increase of 13.6% and 14.5% compared to 2023, respectively.