WARM WELCOME: Dancers of the Yao ethnic minority pose after performing at the opening ceremony of the 2013 Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival on November 8 (BAI SHI)

The city is the largest in the province, covering 19,000 square km and accounting for one 10th of the Guangdong region, according to He Guosen, Deputy Mayor of Qingyuan. It has a well-preserved and diverse natural environment, with forest coverage reaching 68 percent. Hot springs, rivers, caves, mountains and pristine air have earned Qingyuan a reputation as one of China's most livable cities in recent years. The city also hosts multi-regional cultures, including Yao and Zhuang ethnic minorities.

Developing tourism is a good idea, said Du Jiang, Deputy Director of National Tourism Administration, at the conference.

The Chinese Government attaches great importance to tourism and has come up with the specific goal of building the industry into a strategic pillar of the national economy. In 2012, the country remained the world's third largest inbound tourism destination and became the largest spender in terms of international tourism. At the same time, it boasts the largest domestic tourism market in the world.

"On October 1, the Tourism Law of the People's Republic of China came into effect, which lays a solid foundation for healthy and sustained development of the local tourism industry," Du said.

Guangdong is endowed with rich natural resources and equipped with sound infrastructure. The province has focused on building the tourism industry into a strategic pillar of its economy. Local people have also benefited a lot from tourism, Du said.

In addition to China's efforts in advancing tourism, the global situation is also favorable to Qingyuan.

Statistics show that last year, there were more than 1 billion tourists around the world, with 23 percent from the Asia-Pacific Region, according to Xu Jing, Secretary of Asia-Pacific Region of the United Nations for the World Tourism Organizations.

"We forecast that from 2013 to 2030, Asia Pacific will contribute an increase of 17 million tourists on average per year. With such a growth rate, the region will replace Europe and America as the center of world tourism," said Xu.

"China will undoubtedly benefit from this trend, and become an important destination and source of international tourists in the world. In fact, the country is already the third largest destination in the world, following the United States and France. The number of foreign visitors to China soared from 10.5 million in 1990 to 56 million in 2010," Xu noted.

To residents of Qingyuan, the tourism festival is like a carnival. A total of 100,000 citizens enjoyed a vehicle parade and watched various other performances during the first day, local media reported.

"We hope to show people the typical arts of Guangdong," said Du Zuoxiang, producer of a series of shows, and an advocate of preserving intangible cultural heritages in the region.

"Compared with inviting super stars to liven things up, folk arts are more significant when promoting culture," Du added.

Email us at: baishi@bjreview.com