The 8th Conference on Tourism Development in Shanxi opens on Sept 21. [Photo by Lei Zhexia for chinadaily.com.cn]

The future of tourism, in one of the prime regions for the sector in the country, came under focus on Sept 21, with the opening of the 8th Conference on Tourism Development in Shanxi.

It is being held in Yuncheng, a prefecture-level city in North China's Shanxi province, until Sept 23. 

Yuncheng, which lies on the banks of the Yellow River, has 102 cultural relics sites under national protection, ranking it first among prefecture-level cities in China.

During the course of the three-day event, a series of activities is being staged in the city. They include a special exhibition on the development of market players in Shanxi's cultural tourism and health care market, the International Forum on Guang Yu Culture and the first Puju Opera Art Week.

A vibrant performance takes place on an illuminated stage during the opening ceremony. [Photo by Lei Zhexia for chinadaily.com.cn]

Since 2015, Shanxi has held seven provincial tourism development conferences. The annual event has become an important window and platform for the province to raise the profile of the host cities, promoting local economic development and the cultural tourism industry.

In April, Shanxi issued a new plan for hosting the annual event, which further clarified its focus in terms of rural tourism, health care tourism, leisure tourism, exhibitions and the integration of culture and tourism, event themes, hosting cities and major products.