Online platforms contribute to making event wonderful
Due to the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic both at home and abroad, the third Jiangnan Culture and Arts & International Tourism Festival runs both online and offline. The combination of onsite activities and online platforms will become a prominent feature for the event this year.
The culture and arts festival focuses especially on COVID-19 prevention and control, as multiple large-scale activities will take place and some events will be held indoors. A package of measures are put in place to safeguard the health and safety of staff members, participants and visitors.
People who cannot go to Suzhou to take part in the festival can still access the event via online platforms, such as Xinhuanet, people.cn, Toutiao, Douyin, Weibo, Netease and Bilibili. They can browse for news information, watch live broadcasts and even interact with others.
Such online services are helping reduce the flow and gathering of people. They help minimize the risk of infectious exposures but maximize the economic and social influence of the festival.
With digital assistance in place, tickets for various shows, exhibitions and other activities have already been made available online.
For example, people can buy tickets for dramas via online ticketing platforms like Damai.cn or the official websites of the Poly Theatre and the Suzhou Culture and Arts Centre.
Besides the convenience, tickets for the festival are offered at preferential prices.
Fans of theater performance can buy tickets with discounts on the Jiangnan Little Theatre WeChat account. Audiences can purchase tickets for plays at the 4th Jiangnan Youth Theatre Festival for less than 80 yuan ($12).
Tickets for traditional performances are also available at more affordable prices.
The tickets for operas on show at the 8th Chinese Kunqu Opera Art Festival are all priced at less than 100 yuan. Tickets for shows of pingtan (an art form combining storytelling and ballad singing in Suzhou dialect) at the 8th Chinese Suzhou Pingtan Art Festival are real bargains, as each of them costs less than 50 yuan.
At the end of September, theme tours and corresponding preferential measures will be launched online through e-tourism platforms like Mafengwo, Xiaohongshu, Ctrip and Travelgo, among other platforms. Whether it’s a cultural appreciation tour or sightseeing of autumn views, tourists can always choose the route they want at a favorable price.