GUIYANG -- Southwest China's Sichuan and Guizhou provinces, as well as Chongqing municipality, have launched an alliance to strengthen cooperation in culture and tourism.

The move was announced by tourism authorities of Sichuan, Guizhou and Chongqing at the opening ceremony of the International Conference of Mountain Tourism and Outdoor Sports 2021 on Sunday evening in Tongren city of Guizhou.

The alliance will boost cooperation among travel agencies, hotels and tourism service providers of the three localities, all popular travel destinations in China.

They will also integrate tourism resources, launch new travel routes and products, and promote information exchange, market linkage and resource sharing, said Zhang Meibiao, an official with the culture and tourism department of Guizhou.

Lu Feng, a tourism official of Sichuan, said the alliance would benefit the recovery of and provide new spaces for the development of the culture and tourism sector to counter the impact of COVID-19.