Tourism authorities from Hunan flaunted some of the province's major attractions at the 2016 China Hunan Tourism Industry Fair held on Dec 23-25 at the Changsha Red Star International Exhibition Center.

He Baoxiang, vice governor of Hunan province, announces open the 2016 China Hunan Tourism Industry Fair on Dec 23. [Photo/news.voc.com.cn]

Among the famous tourism attractions on display were Xiangjiang ancient town, Dongting Lake and Liuyang River.

More than 700 tourism organizations from around the country attended the sales and exhibition activities to showcase their characteristic tourism products and services.

"Hunan is charming because of its bizarre mountains and Taiwan is famous for its beautiful waters," said Cai Qiyi, an exhibitor from Taiwan. "The expo will facilitate the cooperation between the two places and achieve common development."

Aborigines from Taidong county, Taiwan, presents their local tourism features at the fair. [Photo/news.voc.com.cn]

More than 1,000 tourism routes were promoted at the fair and deals exceeding 21 million yuan ($3.1 million) were signed, marking a year-on-year increase of almost 55 percent, according to official statistics.

Since it launched in 2010, the annual China Hunan Tourism Industry Fair has become a reputable event among professionals in the tourism industry.

Organizers of this year's event have expanded the number of forums to allow scholars and business people to exchange their ideas.

"Hopefully the forums will bring new ways to the innovative development of Hunan province," said Gao Yangxian, deputy director general of Hunan Provincial Tourism Bureau.

A series of tourism-themed activities, such as a lantern exhibition, will be held from Dec 26 to Jan 3.