Representatives of local authorities, media groups, sports celebrities and companies attend the 2018 Outdoor Tourism Conference of China Zhoushan Archipelago at Sheraton Hotel in Zhoushan on Aug 31. [Photo/ WeChat account: zsqdly]

The 2018 Outdoor Tourism Conference of China Zhoushan Archipelago was held in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, on Aug 31, as a prelude to the annual carnival of various outdoor activities to take place in the city throughout the entire month of September.

Significantly more high-quality outdoor tourist events than last year were on show to visitors at the conference, including hiking, marathon, cycling, camping, sailing, sea fishing, orienteering and cosplay of counter strike.

For the entire month, nearly 30 events will take place on various islands in Zhoushan which will give visitors a chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the island and partake in outdoor activities, such as a music & camping carnival, a sailing race, a cycling carnival, and an adventure game around the island, where visitors will compete in teams to complete various tasks.

The biggest highlight of the conference was the presence of some well-known sports stars from the province, such as Xu Yaping and Wu Peng, who were at one time world champions in canoeing and swimming respectively.

They shared their stories about outdoor sports experiences at the conference.

Meanwhile, owners of over 160 outdoor sports clubs along the Yangtze River Delta were also invited and granted the title of honorary Zhoushan citizens. 

They will inspect the city's outdoor recreation sites, work with the local government to jointly develop sports-related tourism, and take visitors to try some outdoor activities during the month. 

Four such cooperation agreements on developing sports-related tourism were reached at the conference.

As well as the boost that the conference and preceding carnival is expected to bring, Zhoushan will step up efforts to develop its outdoor tourism in the future and promote the production of related products, such as yachts, sailing boats and recreational vehicles, so to develop more high-end tourist businesses in the city.