The first "Zhongguancun Science and Education Tourism Festival" was concluded with great harvest. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

The closing ceremony for the first "Zhongguancun Science and Education Tourism Festival" was held on August 26.

In this summer, featured with excited experience, lots of interactions, and abundant knowledge, the festival offered a feast of travel to residents and visitors in Beijing. Some Hi-tech enterprises, education organizations, resorts and travel agent took part into this festival and offered a lot of support.

Haidian District, where Zhongguancun is located, is the core area in China's Self-Innovation. Here is filled with rich resources of science and education which are outstanding in China. All these advantages offered a huge convenience for the festival. In addition, the science and education tour became another name card for Haidian district besides imperial palace, and original natures.

This festival mixed with tourism, science, and education corporations, and a tourism market of science and education with Haidian's characteristics was begun to form. A couple of enterprises such as Huaqi Information Technology, Hanvon Technology, and New Oriental School were opened to tourists for the first time. According to the statistics published by Beijing Tourism Administration, during the festival, six cooperated travel agents received forty-four thousand tourists, and some traditional resorts received nearly ten million tourists, increased 9 percent than the previous year.

In the closing ceremony, six rewards including "Green Explorer", "Top Ten Tour Guides" were issued. After voted by tourists and media, thirteen groups and eighteen individuals were awarded. Some tourists joined in the festival also won a chance to have a free trip in Hong Kong.

Tourists from China and abroad highly complimented this festival. Forrest Fabian Jesse, a student from New York, USA, now a Ph.D. student at Beijing Jiaotong University said that he learnt a lot of beautiful resorts he had never known before this festival. He hopes this festival will be held in next year and he would introduce more foreigners to join this activity. Jesse took part in this festival and had a great experience.

In the end of the ceremony, leaders from Haidian Government and Haidian Tourism Bureau addressed to the festival and expressed their best wishes. In addition, the Science and Education Tourism Branch of Haidian District Tourist Association was established.