Li Zhanshu (right), Party chief of Guizhou province, presents a plaque to Shao Qiwei, head of the National Tourism Administration, to show thanks to the government's concern and support for the provincial tourism industry. Photos by Zhu Xingxin / China Daily

Tourism plays a key role in Guizhou's mission to end poverty in the southwestern province, an official said on Monday.

"More than 420, 000 local villagers climbed out of poverty from 2006 to 2010 by getting involved in tourism, and more people living under the poverty line will benefit from it in the future," said Zhao Kezhi, governor of Guizhou, during the opening ceremony of the seventh Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference in Bijie prefecture.

More than 56 million tourists came to villages around Guizhou in 2011 to experience the rich and colorful cultures of different ethnic groups, including the Miao, Dong, Yi, Tujia and Buyi.

Last year, more than 1 million people found employment in tourism related areas.

"Most of Guizhou's tourism resources are in remote and impoverished mountainous areas inhabited by ethnic groups. Developing tourism in such areas could effectively increase local incomes," Zhao said.

Guizhou is one of China's most impoverished regions. The province's average annual economic growth in the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) period was lower than the national average, so Guizhou needs to reach and maintain an even higher growth rate during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) period.

The State Council issued new policies in January to further promote economic and social development of Guizhou.

The policies include measures that are expected to help this poverty-stricken province catch up with advanced provinces and regions by protecting its ecological advantages, strengthening industrialization and urbanization, and accelerating economic development.

According to the document, the tourism industry will be developed into the pillar industry of Guizhou.

The province's income from tourism has increased to 106 trillion yuan ($16.8 trillion), more than four times the income in 2005.

Guizhou has great potential for tourism development because of its natural beauty and diverse ethnic cultures, Zhao said.

One obstacle standing in the way of the tourism industry is the mountainous region's poor transportation infrastructure.

The Guizhou government will speed up the construction of highways around the province. Provincial officials are also making it a priority to open new local airports, including Xinzhou, Huangping and Maotai.

The conference was held in the prefecture's famous azalea scenic spot, where wild azaleas in pink, red and white cover more than 120 kilometers of mountains at this time of the year.

From a distance, those mountains just look like giant bouquets that stretch as far as the eye can see, which is why Bijie's azalea scenic is nicknamed the "colorful belt of the earth" by locals.

cuijia@chinadaily.com.cn

Diplomatic envoys to China attend the seventh Guizhou Tourism Industry Development Conference in Bijie on April 23.