A photo taken on Feb 11 shows an aerial view of the Central Innovation Zone in Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu province. [Photo/IC]

Nantong will pull out all the stops to ensure the success of the 2019 China Forest Tour Festival, according to Xu Huimin, the city’s mayor. 

Xu was speaking at a meeting held to organize preparations for the event on Feb 13. 

Government departments need to work together to ensure that infrastructure and services provide the maximum support possible to the event, he said.

The festival is now in its fifth consecutive year, with Wuhan, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Changbaishan all previously hosting the event.  

It has become an important platform to showcase a city’s development, while raising its profile and boosting tourism.

Nantong should grasp the opportunity to promote its tourist attractions and put itself on the map, said Lu Zhipeng, secretary of the CPC Nantong Committee, at the meeting.

The city will do its best to ensure that visitors have a great time at the festival no matter where they come from, he added.

According to an initial plan revealed at the meeting, this year’s event is expected to fall in September and October.

In addition to an opening ceremony, promotional conferences and themed forums; the festival will also include an assortment of cultural activities, such as a forest concert, an international marathon, a dragon boat competition, flower exhibition, and food festival.