The 2015 China Forest Tour Festival will be held in Wuhan, Hubei province in October, the State Forestry Administration said on Wednesday.

The festival is set to boost the growth of forest tourism, a rising force in China's tourism industry, as well as to improve the public awareness of forest protection and low-carbon lifestyle, said Peng Youdong, a senior official of SFA at a press conference in Beijing.

The event will include a series of activities, such an exhibition on forest tourism development, a forum of the ecological leisure industry and other investment fairs.

Forest tourism in China, which is mainly centered around forest parks, has developed rapidly in the past three decades. By now, there are more than 8,500 forest tourism destinations around the country, with 3,101 forest parks, 2,189 nature reserves and 979 wetland parks.

In 2014, the number of tourists opting for forest travel reached 910 million visits, an increase of 19.7 percent year-on-year. It accounted for 25.2 percent of total domestic travel. Tourist resorts including Zhangjiajie of Hunan province, Jiuzhaigou Valley of Sichuan province and Mount Wuyi of Fujian province have gained world-wide reputations for their scenic beauty.

The development of forest tourism has also helped more rural residents, especially forest farmers, to escape poverty.

Yang Chao, director of the forest park management office under SFA, said about 29 percent of national forest parks are located in poverty-stricken counties.

"Forest tourism has helped to shift the business model from deforestation to protecting forests," said Yang. "Developing tourism can also help the residents make a living without leaving their homes and boost the quality of life in their hometowns at the same time."

Suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn