Yangtze Delta Tourism Alliance Launched at Investment Promotion Meet

Shanghai hosted the 5th Tourism Investment Promotion Conference today at Sheshan National Tourist Resort, launching the Yangtze River Delta G60 Cultural and Tourism Alliance and rolling out two investment guides and five major projects.

The five cultural and tourism projects for which agreements were signed boast a total investment of nearly 4 billion yuan (US$550 million).

They are: the Bund cultural and tourism complex upgrade, the Xuhui West Bund touring program with sightseeing buses, the Xuhui West Bund Star Dome, the "Shanghai Gate" Ferris Wheel, and the artificial intelligence immersive interactive theater "New World: Golden Age."

The Xuhui West Bund Star Dome project is settled in the southern part of the "dome area" along the Xuhui Riverside. With a total investment of 1.2 billion yuan, it will be built as a comprehensive innovative complex featuring a 360-degree giant spherical appearance and a capacity of 3,000 people.

Integrating immersive performances, digital art exhibitions, brand launches and waterfront leisure services, the venue will embrace multiple functions, including tourism, commerce, conventions and sports. Construction is scheduled to kick off in the second half of this year, with completion and opening by the end of next year. It is set to become a new cultural tourism landmark along the West Bund riverside.

Centered on the Huanghe Road block, the filming location of the hit TV series Blossoms Shanghai, the AI immersive interactive theater "New World: The Golden Age" at Shanghai Film Park in suburban Songjiang District pioneers an innovative model combining online AI short dramas with offline immersive performances and game-themed theater.

Integrating the immersive storyline experience of the New World IP (internet protocol) and XR (extended reality) interactive technology and set against the backdrop of China's reform and opening-up in the 1990s, the theater features four main storylines and nearly 100 side storylines. Visitors may freely choose storylines and roles, join or leave the experience at will, and explore the block at their own pace.

Shanghai received 425 million tourist visits and generated 672.365 billion yuan in total tourism revenue in 2025.

As China's top gateway for inbound tourism, Shanghai received 9.36 million inbound tourist arrivals in 2025, with international tourism revenue hitting 14.835 billion yuan, both records.

In the first quarter of 2026, inbound tourists reached 2.23 million, surging 28.04 percent year-on-year.

Zhong Xiaomin, director of the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, said the conference is in line with national strategic plans for tourism development. It aims to attract quality tourism projects to Shanghai while facilitating the export of the city's capital, brands and management expertise to the Yangtze River Delta region to realize two-way empowerment, and propel Shanghai into the first tier of global tourism destinations, Zhong added.

The conference also released the 2026 Shanghai Tourism Investment Guide and the 2026 Songjiang Cultural, Tourism and Film Investment Guide. Shanghai aims to build itself into a leading Asia-Pacific tourism investment hub, with full-chain investment services and key projects driving sustained tourism industry growth.

The conference also prioritized rural tourism, unveiling 14 Shanghai-style Jiangnan (regions to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) rural tourism demonstration villages and 55 premium spring rural routes.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), Shanghai will upgrade rural tourism, develop homestay clusters and integrated rural tourism formats, building a full-service system for rural tourism development.