Guests from Japan show interest in blue calico making at the Nantong Blue Calico Museum. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

A nine-person delegation consisting of Japanese businesspeople from travel agencies and journalists visited Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province on July 19.

It was the first overseas tourism delegation that the city has received after COVID-19.

The activity is expected to increase the influence of Jiangsu's cultural and tourism brand and the cultural and tourism resources of Nantong and other cities in Japan and attract more Japanese tourists to Nantong and Jiangsu.

The Japanese delegation was impressed by Nantong's scenic landscape and culture after visiting Langshan Mountain, the Haohe River scenic area, and the Nantong Blue Calico Museum.

Japanese guests pose for a group photo at Nantong Blue Calico Museum. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

"My visit to Nantong is to have a further understanding of the city's tourism resources and introduce the city to more Japanese tourists, especially the youngsters," said a general manager from a Japanese travel agency.

Japan has always been an important source of inbound tourism for Nantong and both sides boast frequent cultural and tourism exchanges. In 2019, the number of Nantong's inbound tourists from Japan reached 60,000, accounting for 30.47 percent of the total inbound tourists in the city.

"We will take advantage of this event to expand the influence of Nantong's culture and tourism overseas and attract more international tourists to Nantong," said a staff member from the Nantong municipal bureau of cultural, broadcasting, television and tourism.