Interest in science a boon for tourism, inquisitive minds

Astronomy, education and tourism appear to be strange bedfellows, but the stars aligned last month in Hefei, Anhui province, to bring all three together for Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Hefei Science and Technology Museum organized a series of tours combining information on the development of astronomy with cultural traditions related to the annual celebration, also known as Moon Festival, which fell on Sept 17.

The museum received 17,427 visitors from Sept 15 to 17, with about 600 of them taking the special tours.

"The exhibits at the museum were so exciting, and there were also science instructors explaining the exhibits to us," said Zhu Yuhan, a local student.

"It was the exhibits about animal knowledge and the experience of observing the surface of the moon through a telescope that impressed me most," said Zhu, who visited the museum on the day of the festival.

The provincial capital is at the forefront of national efforts to combine scientific knowledge, with educational and cultural activities. The idea is to not only improve people's scientific literacy but also boost the development of the tourism industry.

A series of cutting-edge technological achievements were also showcased nationwide from Sept 15 to 25 to mark the 2024 National Science Popularization Day.

Hefei has become renowned in recent years for its rapid development in science and technology innovation and manufacturing, both of which are emerging as highlights of the city's tourism industry.

By the end of August, the city had received 3.5 million visitors for science and technology popularization activities, a 16.2 percent year-on-year increase, according to the latest statistics from the Hefei municipal bureau of culture and tourism.

Of the visitors, 494,000 came from outside the province, it added.