A conference is held in Linfen, Shanxi province, on Sept 20, during the 2018 Shanxi Tourism Development Conference. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2018 Shanxi Tourism Development Conference took place in Linfen, Shanxi province, from Sept 19 to 21, attracting over 600 participants from both China and abroad who came to get to know the city and its attractions.

Since the beginning of this year, Linfen has invested 48.6 billion yuan ($7.07 billion) in hundreds of activities and projects to promote the conference, including a marathon and cheerleading competition.

The efforts have clearly paid off, with 35 tourism contracts worth 109.09 billion yuan agreed during the event. And, during this year’s Mid-autumn Festival, more tourists chose Linfen as their travel destination than in previous years.

In addition, to maintain the city’s momentum, a tourism forum for countries with territory in the world’s five major river basins is being held in Linfen from Sept 25 to 28. Ambassadors and experts from representative countries along the Yellow River, Nile River, Ganges River, Rhine River and Volga River will speak at the event.

The Shanxi tourism conference, which has previously been held in Datong and Jinzhong, represents an excellent opportunity for host cities to promote local culture and their tourism industries.

According to a 2018 report on the development of the provincial tourism industry, Jinzhong received 79.52 million tourists last year and earned 82.37 billion yuan in tourism revenues –– the highest amount in the province.

A cultural performance for the tourism conference is held in Linfen, Sept 19. [Photo/VCG]