BEIJING, Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A launch ceremony for a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) tour directed at travelers from abroad, organized by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development and co-organized by Chinese tourism service provider Ctrip.com International Ltd., was held at the Days of the Valley park, located near the Ming Tombs in Beijing's Changping District, 50 km (31 miles) northwest of the city center, on the morning of December 1. Cao Pengcheng, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development, delivered a speech at the ceremony.
Tours focused on TCM, an emerging offshoot of the medical tourism industry, have been gaining popularity among travelers from both inside as well as outside of China. Promoting TCM tourism is part of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development's efforts in upgrading the travel sector. The efforts are expected to give a boost to Beijing's high-end tourism services as well as help in the integration of tourism resources and in optimizing the overall business portfolio. To date, Beijing has 35 facilities specializing in TCM tours.
Ten individuals participated in the tour. They learned about the tour through global social media platforms. During the launch ceremony, leading experts on Chinese culture gave presentations, which included varying viewpoints on the history and culture of TCM, to the participants. The agenda for the ceremony also included qigong (a holistic system of coordinated body posture and movement, breathing, and meditation) and t'ai chi ch'uan (a collection of slow body movements beneficial for health) performances, introductory lessons on Ba Duan Jin (one of the most common forms of qigong), traditional Chinese massage techniques, in addition to a visit to a TCM plantation. The tour was a unique and in-depth event that promotes TCM culture.
The tour is an innovative online-to-offline marketing event as a result of partnership between the Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development and Ctrip.com International Ltd, the largest online travel agency in China, with the aim of reinvigorating Beijing's image of a popular tourism destination which includes TCM as one of its features. It is easy to book the tour from anywhere worldwide.
