Performances are staged at the opening ceremony of the 2020 China Nantong Jianghai International Cultural Tourism Festival in Nantong on Sept 12. [Photo by Ding Congrong/chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2020 China Nantong Jianghai International Cultural Tourism Festival opened at the Nantong Forest Safari Park in Nantong, Jiangsu province on Sept 12.

The opening ceremony attracted more than 5,000 tourists from the Yangtze River Delta (YRD).

Hosted by the Nantong government and the Jiangsu provincial department of culture and tourism, the event will run until Oct 7. The festival has been held for 16 consecutive years.

This year marked the first time that the event opened alongside other tourism festivals in Shanghai, Wenzhou in Zhejiang province and Huangshan in Anhui province. Sub-venues of the opening ceremony were set up in the three cities and all performances were broadcast live on television and online.

Officials hailed the festival as a significant milestone in the integrated development of the culture and tourism industries in the YRD region.

According to the organizers, 11 municipal-level celebrations and 34 activities will be held in counties and tourist attractions. The activities will include cultural performances, night markets, food galas, light shows, ticket discounts and tourism promotions.

Drones form the outline of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge during the opening ceremony for the 2020 China Nantong Jianghai International Cultural Tourism Festival in Nantong on Sept 12. [Photo by Ding Congrong/chinadaily.com.cn]

The fireworks display during the opening of the 2020 China Nantong Jianghai International Cultural Tourism Festival in Nantong on Sept 12. [Photo by Ding Congrong/chinadaily.com.cn]