The grand 2005 China Hunan Tourism Exposition, held in Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province from September 13 to 14, offered eye-catching activities for visitors from all over the world.

The expo attracted government officials, tourism business people, exhibitors and visitors from more than 20 provinces on the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions and Taiwan Province, as well as 12 countries and regions including Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea and France.

The event included artistic performances with distinctive ethnic characteristics, exhibitions and contract-signing ceremonies.

Presenting a wealth of information, the expo provided tourism businesses from home and abroad with an exchange opportunity.

In addition, visitors got the chance to glimpse attractive natural landscapes and historic sites with a touch of tradition and the unique customs of local ethnic groups.

The outstanding booths run by tourist agencies, hotels, souvenir producers and the tourism bureau in Changsha, accounting for at least a third of the entire exhibition hall, drew much attention from visitors worldwide.

The participating businesses used various means to highlight their selling points.

The Bird Forest, a famous eco-tourism spot in Changsha, brought parrots as their image ambassadors. As a result, a myriad of visitors came over, taking pictures with the wonderful birds.

The rich tradition of embroidery in Hunan has gained it a worldwide reputation as Xiang Embroidery.

This sort of decoration used to be thought of as a luxury. But lower priced products were on display at the expo, indicating the traditional craft producers have begun to target ordinary tourists.

Many co-operative agreements were reached at the event. The provincial tourism bureau entered into a partnership with Hessisches, a state in Germany, to promote bilateral tourism.

The organization committee has applied for registration of the expo's name with the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

(China Daily September 29, 2005)