Storyline: China's rich cultural and tourism offerings have been showcased in style at the 2025 edition of the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, one of the world's largest and most influential tourism exhibitions, as China looks to attract more global visitors to come and experience the country for themselves. With a chubby cartoon panda waving in the middle of a bamboo-built gallery, surrounded by classic Chinese paintings and poems, China's pavilion has been giving a warm welcome to visitors from all around the world since it opened to great fanfare on the event's opening day on Tuesday. Themed "Chinese Tourism: Innovation, Integration and Sustainable Growth" and spanning more than 400 square meters, making it nearly double the area of last year's display, the Chinese pavilion is one of the most eye-catching on show at the three-day event. A corridor built with bamboo connects the stands showcasing more than a dozen provinces and regions of the country, as well as eight Chinese airline companies, all showcasing cultural elements which seek to entice potential visitors to make the trip to China. "This year, the China pavilion has achieved record-breaking figures in both exhibition space and participant numbers, marking our largest-ever presence at WTM London," said Zhang Li, director of the China National Tourist Office in London. Zhang added that tourism serves as a vital bridge for promoting mutual understanding, friendship, and peace, emphasizing that people-to-people exchanges are the most direct way to strengthen international ties. Louise Bryce, partnerships director of Visit Britain, the UK's main tourist board, also underlined China's importance to the British tourism market, noting both countries boast rich cultural and tourism resources and are strengthening cooperation in air travel, regional development, and cultural exchange to promote mutual visits and deeper ties. She also spoke highly of China's efforts in promoting its travel destinations through film and TV productions which give audiences a glimpse of the country and spark an interest among many to travel. "Every nation could really take the opportunity to use the interest in film and TV to position their destination to the relevant target audience. I think China has done this well, and I think it's the only way to understand any country, any destination, any culture, is to open your mind and go and experience it yourself. That's the beauty of travel," said Bryce. Her comments came following the launch of "China Travel with Chinese Films," an event jointly held by the China Film Administration and China Media Group which aims to promote China's tourist destinations with blockbuster movies. The Chinese animated movie "Nobody," which become a big box office hit following its release in the summer, was selected for this year's campaign. The film, which is rooted in Chinese mythology, features depictions of buildings and natural landscapes that were inspired by well-known tourist destinations across north China's Shanxi Province, and it is hoped it will also encourage more visitors to go and see the real locations for themselves. "We told a good story and chose a good theme. Why does this narrative resonate so deeply? Because it strikes a chord with each of us today. Drawing from his own life experiences and profound love for his homeland, the director drew inspiration from the mountains, rivers, and temples in Shanxi to produce the movie. The popularity of the movie will also significantly boost Shanxi's cultural tourism industry," said Wang Jun, head of the Shanghai Film Group Corp., the production company behind the popular film. China has been increasing efforts to boost its tourism market in recent times and on Monday announced it will extend its unilateral visa-exemption arrangements for more than 40 countries through to the end of next year in a bid to further facilitate travel. Shotlist: London, UK - Nov 4, 2025: 1. Performers at opening ceremony of China pavilion at World Travel Market (WTM) London in progress 2. Screen showing promo of "China Travel with Chinese Films" campaign 3. Various of guest delivering speech, attendees listening, applauding 4. Various of visitors at China pavilion 5. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Li, director, China National Tourist Office London (starting with shot 4): "This year, the China pavilion has achieved record-breaking figures in both exhibition space and participant numbers, marking our largest-ever presence at WTM London." 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Louise Bryce, partnerships director, Visit Britain (partially overlaid with shot 7): "Every nation could really take the opportunity to use the interest in film and TV to position their destination to the relevant target audience. I think China has done this well, and I think it's the only way to understand any country, any destination, any culture, is to open your mind and go and experience it yourself. That's the beauty of travel." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Shanxi Province, north China - Date Unknown: 7. Promo video showing tourist destinations, related film scenes [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] London, UK - Nov 4, 2025: 8. Various of film poster, product FILE: Date and Location Unknown: 9. Film clips Shanghai, China - Recent: 10. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wang Jun, head, Shanghai Film Group Corp.(starting with shot 9/partially overlaid with shot 11): "We told a good story and chose a good theme. Why does this narrative resonate so deeply? Because it strikes a chord with each of us today. Drawing from his own life experiences and profound love for his homeland, the director drew inspiration from the mountains, rivers, and temples in Shanxi to produce the movie. The popularity of the movie will also significantly boost Shanxi's cultural tourism industry." [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: Shanxi Province, north China - Date Unknown: 11. Promo video showing ancient building, film scene based on it [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] London, UK - Nov 4, 2025: 12. Various of visitors, performers at WTM London 13. China pavilion, visitors 14. Poster of "China Travel with Chinese Films" 15. Panda decoration at China pavilion [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]