Posted: April 23, 2013  By: Admin

The curtain was raised this week on Suzhou International Tourism Festival (started from April 12, 2013), an event that will last nearly two months.

The full program of activities being held in the "Oriental Water City" in Jiangsu Province is guaranteed to bring fun to visitors from both home and abroad, say organizers.

Sport and healthy lifestyle activities are among key elements of the festival, with cycling events and a half-marathon scheduled.

Officials say the annual festival has become one of the key factors in drawing tourists to the city.

According to the Suzhou Tourism Bureau, the city attracted around 85 million tourists last year - up 10 percent on 2011. Tourism revenue reached 140 billion yuan (US$22.2 billion) last year, an increase of 17 percent.

Here are some key activities of the Suzhou International Tourism Festival:

The Fourth Suzhou Rim-Jinji Lake International Half-Marathon
The half-marathon will be held tomorrow, with competitors setting off from Jinji Lake at 9am and the finishing line at Moonlight Wharf. Runners and spectators can admire the beautiful scenery around the lake, where the most modern area of Suzhou is located.

Cycling around Kunshan
Although the opening ceremony of the event is held in Suzhou on April 29, the event is actually held in the county-level city of Kunshan.

Cyclists will depart from downtown Kunshan to the countryside, including the Yangcheng Lake area. The event is to help promote the natural environment and a low-carbon lifestyle.

Source: Shanghaidaily