Spanish tourism authority sets up a booth at the ongoing China International Travel Mart to showcase their cultural and tourism specialities in Shanghai. [Photo by Gao Erqiang/China Daily]

A total of 1,500 exhibitors from 50 countries and regions are participating in the China International Travel Mart (CITM) 2020, which is taking place in Shanghai from Monday to Wednesday.

Held in the Shanghai New International Expo Center, the event consists of three areas -- one for Chinese regions, provinces and cities to showcase their cultural and tourism specialities, one for Chinese cultural and tourism companies, and one for international exhibitors to connect with customers.

As one of the hosts, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism has set up several booths to celebrate China's cultural and tourism collaboration with global partners, including the "Culture City of East Asia" by its bureau for international exchanges and cooperation, and the "Key Projects of Belt and Road Cultural and Tourism Cooperation" booth by its cultural and tourism industries department.

Cultural institutions such as the Palace Museum, the National Museum of China, the National Library of China, and the National Art Museum of China have also set up booths to showcase a wide range of creative products.

Due to the travel restrictions because of COVID-19, the expo has held online business talks for those who are unable to attend the event.

A promotional event by the China Tourism Promotion Alliance, the first Health Tourism Development Forum, the China-Afro-Asia Tourism and Aviation Forum, and the Seminar on Cultural and Tourism Integration in the Yangtze River Delta were also held on the sidelines of the expo.

Founded in 1998, CITM has grown into one of the major travel expos in the Asia-Pacific region. This year's event aims to inject vitality into the post-pandemic inbound tourism market in China and promote international cultural and tourism exchange and cooperation.