Hello! China "French vintage cars return to the Silk Ro

Paris, July 14th (Xinhua) -- On July 12th local time, the launch ceremony of the "Hello! China" French vintage car return to the Silk Road event was held at Futuroscope in Poitiers, France.

 

About 150 people attended the ceremony, including Zhang Haomiao, Director of the Chinese Tourism Office in Paris, Bruno, representative of the French ATYPIK Classic Car Association, Philippe YAO, General Manager of the European Chinese Tourism Group, Marie Pierre, former International Tourism Expert of the World Tourism Organization, as well as drivers, tourism agencies, and media representatives from France and neighboring countries.

 

It is reported that this event is jointly initiated and organized by the European Chinese Travel Group and the French ATYPIK Vintage Car Association. The fleet consists of 33 various vintage cars, 3 off-road vehicles, and 2 maintenance support vehicles. 80 drivers from France, Belgium, Switzerland and other countries set off from France, passing through ten countries in Europe and Asia, and retraced the ancient Silk Road, covering a total distance of about 15000 kilometers. The convoy plans to officially enter China via Kashgar, Xinjiang on August 10th, and travel eastward along the ancient Silk Road, passing through historical and cultural cities such as Aksu, Turpan, Hami, Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Zhangye, Xi'an, Pingyao, etc. The journey within China is about 5700 kilometers, taking 23 days, and finally arriving in Beijing on August 31st. The Chinese Tourism Office in Paris, as the supporting unit for this launch ceremony, hopes to use this cross continental classic car tour to convey the tourism image of "Hello! China" and continuously optimize the inbound tourism policies to more French people.

 

At the ceremony, Zhang Haomiao, Director of the Chinese Tourism Office in Paris, delivered a speech stating that in recent years, China has continuously optimized its entry tourism policies such as visa free travel, providing a more convenient and safe travel environment for international tourists, including French tourists. The Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism is actively promoting the integrated development of "automobile+cultural tourism" and cultivating new hotspots for self driving tourism. The event of returning old cars to the Silk Road is a vivid practice of this concept. She expects French drivers to deeply appreciate China's magnificent natural scenery and profound cultural heritage during their journey in China, and bring back real and exciting Chinese stories to France.

 

The representative of "Future Park" expressed in the welcome speech that it is an honor to witness this cross continental expedition departing from "Future Park", and wished the convoy a smooth journey. Philippe YAO, representative of the event organizer and general manager of the European Chinese Travel Group, mentioned that the event embodies the hard work of teams from both China and France for over a year. He hopes that through this unique event, more French people can rediscover the Silk Road and understand today's China. The driver representative stated in their speech that being able to drive an old car and retrace the ancient Silk Road, which has a history of over two thousand years, is an unforgettable life experience for every driver. Everyone has been looking forward to it for a long time and is about to embark on this long-awaited journey to China. Former World Tourism Organization international tourism expert Marie Pierre highly praised the positive significance of this event in promoting people to people exchanges between China and France and deepening international tourism cooperation.

 

Alexandre Gouzkov, a senior driver from France in the team, is 93 years old and this is his fifth trip to China. Speaking of this trip, he said that his trip to China 20 years ago is still fresh in his memory. This time, he looks forward to coming to China again, witnessing China's development and changes with his own eyes, and experiencing more diverse natural scenery and cultural charm. (End)