Business representatives sign investment deals with Guizhou tourism leaders at the Mountain Tourism Investment Conference in Guiyang on Dec 16. [Photo/gog.cn]

A string of new investment projects look set to invigorate Guizhou province over the next few years.

Over 50 contracts worth over 25 billion yuan ($3.60 billion) were penned at the Mountain Tourism Investment Conference held in Guiyang on Dec 16.

The conference was attended by more than 350 officials from the province’s tourism departments, who sought cooperation deals with entrepreneurs from around the world keen to enter Guizhou’s growing tourism market.

The contracts include projects focusing on tourism facilities, outdoor sports, tourism products, popular science tourism and tourism performing arts.

The province has been prioritizing the development of tourism in recent years and has signed 650 tourism-related contracts worth more than 200 billion yuan since 2013.

The Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference and International Mountain Tourism & Outdoor Sports Conference have developed into powerful brands that put the spotlight on Guizhou and attract investment every year.

This year witnessed a rapid development as the province received more than 500 million visitors from January to December, which helped to rake in 470 billion yuan, an increase of 43 percent more compared to the same period last year.

Located in the rugged terrain of Southwest China, more than 92.5 percent of the province’s land is mountainous and rich in karst landforms. A census on tourism resources was also carried out this year and newly founded approximately 51,000 tourism sites, adding new energy to the tourism industry.

The improvement of transportation infrastructure has helped the tourism industry develop and will continue to do so. The provincial government plans to construct 10,000 kilometers of highway in the following five years and high-speed rails have already linked the province with East and Southeast China. The high-speed rails between Guiyang, Chongqing, Chengdu and Nanning cities are under construction.

Businesses have also been quick to capitalize on the preferential policies released by local governments that provide favorable measures in terms of finance, land, industries and human resources.

The rapid development of transportation provides solid support for tourism industries in Guizhou. [Photo/gog.cn]