Qingyuan secures over US$544.54 million deals at ICIF

Qingyuan city in Guangdong Province inked deals worth more than 3.7 billion yuan (US$544.54 million) in Shenzhen during the 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) May 23.

Qingyuan held an investment promotion event to showcase its high-quality resources and key projects in agriculture, forestry, culture and tourism, wellness, and cultural creativity to companies from Shenzhen and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).

A representative introduces investment opportunities in Qingyuan. Photos courtesy of the event organizers

During the event, eight major industrial projects and one strategic cooperation agreement involving travel agencies from Qingyuan and Shenzhen were signed, with total deals exceeding 3.7 billion yuan.

These projects cover a wide range of sectors, including ecological tourism, cultural and creative industries, rural tourism, ethnic tourism, wellness education-industry integration, hot spring resorts, modern agriculture, and outdoor adventure.

They span all counties, cities and districts of Qingyuan, injecting strong momentum into the city’s goal of building a 100-billion-yuan cultural and tourism cluster and advancing rural revitalization.

Meanwhile, several travel agencies from Qingyuan and Shenzhen signed cooperation agreements to establish a long-term mechanism for visitor exchange, market connectivity and brand promotion, further smoothing tourism channels within the GBA.

A senior Qingyuan government official said that Qingyuan and Shenzhen are geographically close, industrially complementary and culturally connected.

With just a one-hour high-speed rail ride between the two cities, Qingyuan offers first-rate ecology, vast development space, rich resources and full-chain services, making it a preferred destination for GBA-based companies seeking to invest and expand in cultural tourism, wellness and modern agriculture and forestry, according to the official,

The event focused on six major investment areas: cultural IP, quality tourism, hot spring wellness, outdoor sports, modern agriculture and forest ecology. It systematically promoted Qingyuan’s resource endowment, industrial foundation, business environment and development prospects, aiming to attract leading enterprises, professional operators and quality capital from the GBA to promote integrated development across the agriculture, forestry, culture and tourism industries.

Government authorities, firms, and travel agencies from Qingyuan and Shenzhen sign cooperation agreements.

At the event, Qingyuan also launched three major tourism brands: the 2026 Qingyuan Rafting Culture and Tourism Season, summer premium travel routes, and a cultural IP based on the Tang Dynasty literati Liu Yuxi. Through a three-pronged strategy of seasonal highlights, cultural IP and curated travel routes, the city aims to further enhance its urban brand.