A lineup of blockbusters dedicated to the Chinese New Year holiday hit cinemas across China's two special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao on Tuesday to entertain local residents and promote film-induced tourism.
The Chinese New Year holiday, running for nine days from Feb 15 this year, is one of the key movie seasons in the world's second-largest film market.
On Tuesday, the Chinese New Year's Day, a bunch of highly anticipated domestic films, including Blades of the Guardians, Boonie Bears: The Hidden Protector, and Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe, premiered in the two SARs.
The screening, part of the "China Travel with Chinese Films" initiative sponsored by the China Film Administration and China Media Group, has drawn significant attention from local moviegoers and positive reactions from local tourism industry.
On the day, China Tourism Group Travel, UnionPay International and other institutions set up booths inside cinemas to showcase themed travel routes linked to the films' shooting locations and story settings, alongside new incentives for tourism payment, attracting crowds of moviegoers, with routes in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and southwest China's Yunnan Province being particularly popular.
"We are seeing increasingly clear cultural advantages in Chinese films' global outreach. On the other hand, following Chinese films to travel and savor cuisine in China has been a trend involving more and more foreign audiences. The film industry has become the sector that gains the most spotlight during the Spring Festival holiday, and it has provided the biggest momentum fueling the holiday economy," said Ding Kai, general manager of the Sil-Metropole Organization.
"By leveraging the buzz around these Spring Festival films, we can enhance tourism with culture, and vice versa, to attract more movie fans from Hong Kong and Macao to travel to the mainland to see China's beautiful mountains and rivers, magnificent landscapes, rich tourism resources, and diverse ethnic cultures," said Zhang Xihua, deputy general manager of China Travel Service Macao.
The diversity of high-quality films released during the holiday season has driven a continuous increase in viewership. After watching the movies, some locals and expatriates in Hong Kong and Macao have shown an interest in exploring the spots shown on screen.
"Through domestic films, we have developed a strong interest in China's natural scenery and are eager to see it in person. We have also gained a greater sense of identity with China's traditional culture," said Liu Zhaojue, a Macao resident.
"I think it's a very interesting story, a mix of adventure, fantasy, and comedy. After watching this movie, it really makes me want to visit Yunnan Province. So, I think the cultural aspect of it, I think this is very captivating for the people that really want to get to know China," a Portuguese expatriate in Macao said after watching Panda Plan: The Magical Tribe.
Festive films hit Hong Kong, Macao theaters to help enhance tourism during Chinese New Year
