Chongqing is readying itself for the 2016 Fragrant Hill Tourism Summit and city residents are likely familiar with the event’s iconic blue signage that has been plastered on subway carriages and highway billboards.

The event is a renowned annual tourism platform that attracts worldwide industry leaders and will be held in Chongqing Sept 19 to 21.

This year’s event is co-hosted by Chongqing government and the World Tourism Cities Federation (WTCF) and will be held at Chongqing Yuelai International Convention Center.

The Summit will consist of a main forum and three sub-forums. The focus of these forums will vary greatly but there will be a general emphasis on building mutual trust, creating economic opportunities, and large-scale cooperation. It is hoped that the Summit can help develop Chongqing into a world famous tourist city.

The event will attract a diversity of groups variously engaged in the tourism industry including representatives from over 400 worldwide cities, 50 tourism institutions and organizations, and many reputable tourism media outlets.

The Summit is also a chance for tourism projects to receive financial backing and this year investors plan to sign 10 new contracts. One hotly anticipated aspect of this year’s Summit is the memorandum set to be signed between the Chongqing government and the San Francisco-based company Airbnb, an online market place for renting holiday homes

The Fragrant Hill Tourism Summit, regarded as WTCF’s central service, has been held on four previous occasions. The first three events were held in Beijing and last year’s event was held in Rabat, Morocco.

Chongqing Rail Transit Line 3 bears the signage of 2016 WTCF Chongqing Fragrant Hill Tourism Summit. [Photo/Chongqing Daily].

Edited by Richard Whiddington