On the morning of August 28, the first touring group heading for SCO member states departed from Qingdao. A 14-day-long “silk road journey”, in which the 20 members will leave China via Khorgos, visit core areas of Central Asia, and go to Alma-Ata, the largest city in Kazakhstan and Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan in an effort to see first-hand natural scenery and experience time-honored history and culture, and promote mutual learning between civilizations and people-to-people exchanges.

In the collecting signing ceremony for cultural tourism projects held on the same day, 10 projects such as the project on solutions to integrated traffic in SCO member states and the cultural tourism cooperation project of China Horse Industry Association were signed, covering hotel and lodging industry, education and study trips, etc.

Over recent years, SCO member states has gained an increasing share of China’s outbound tourism market. The SCO Demonstration Area has built the first experience base for culture of SCO member states in China, and held a cumulative total of more than 400 different events of people-to-people exchanges, where over ten brands on cultural exchanges, including “SCO Summer”, have been created. As for the 2024 “SCO Summer” season, more than 100 characteristic activities such as music concerts, handcraft festivals and competition among sailing clubs have been staged in Qingdao and cities in SCO member states.  (Wang Meng)

An international cultural event is staged in the SCO Pearl International Expo Center.