Shanxi Tourism Development Conference kicked off

The 7th Shanxi Tourism Development Conference was held on Sept 26-28 in Changzhi city in North China's Shanxi province with the event having branch venues in Yangquan and Jincheng cities in the province.

With its theme of "the great beauty of the Taihang Mountains in Shanxi", the conference included cultural and tourism promotions and observation and experience tours.

There were also special activities, such as the 2nd Shanxi Arts and Crafts Products Trade Fair, the Shanxi Cultural Tourism Innovation Talent Summit and the Eighth Route Army Cultural Tourism Festival.

Lan Fo'an, governor of Shanxi province, addressed the opening ceremony and promoted the province's natural and cultural landscapes.

He extended an invitation to investors to jointly build leading tourist attractions and high-quality tour routes. Lan also proposed developing a complete industrial chain of culture, tourism, leisure and health care – as well as constructing more tourism infrastructure and expanding the city's tourist source markets.

In recent years, Shanxi has attached importance to the integration of its culture and tourism. It has created three major tourism brands of the Yellow River, the Great Wall and Taihang Mountains, and advanced its development as a national demonstration area for tourism.

As the main venue of the conference, Changzhi leveraged its strengths in cultural tourism. It has a notable national 5A-rated scenic spot, 12 national 4A-rated scenic spots, two national tourism demonstration areas and a provincial eco-cultural tourism demonstration area.