Mayors and party chiefs from 11 prefecture-level cities of Shanxi province recently took part in a TV show. The officials delivered speeches to promote local tourism and compete for the opportunity to host the second Shanxi Provincial Tourism Development Conference, chinanews.com reported on Aug 5.

After stiff competition, the city of Datong has been awarded the right to host the second conference.

The TV show has captured the public imagination and helped to attract more tourists to the province.

In a meeting held on Aug 4, the vice governor of Shanxi province, Wang Yixin, remarked that this TV program has promoted the development of the tourist industry with a market-based approach and a positive attitude towards innovation.

Wang feels that with a slowdown in the economic development of Shanxi province, the success of this TV show has infused huge energy into the province and helped rebuild its image. He also feels that the publicity garnered from the show has done more than any conventional advertising could have done.

In better times when the coal and steel industry were booming, local governments did not attach great importance to the development of a tourist industry. The TV program has increased people's interest and awareness of the importance of the industry, involved local officials in promoting their areas and encouraged people to have pride in their hometown.

Despite this Wang remains practical and emphasizes that we should make great efforts to improve infrastructure and upgrade tourism services to improve the overall quality of the tourism industry.