The first China Leisure Conference is held in Lishui, East China's Zhejiang province Oct 26-30. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

With the opening of the first China Leisure Conference on Oct 26, Lishui in Zhejiang province welcomed over one thousand guests from around the country to discuss the development of leisure tourism.

Participants from different fields came together to analyze the challenges and opportunities of the increasingly popular tourism mode and proposed potential new tourism products.

Wang Xiaofeng, vice chairman of the China National Tourism Administration, said leisure tourism is a new expectation for a better life. It is an important support to the all-for-one tourism and foreshadows the direction of China's tourism development, according to Wang.

Lishui, which literally means "Beautiful Water", is well known for its charming landscapes, which have won it the name of "Foliage Ocean of Zhejiang". Based on its abundant natural resources, the city has been strongly developing ecological tourism in recent years.

Shi Jixi, Party secretary of Lishui, addressed the conference, saying the city will firmly cling to the theory proposed by President Xi Jinping that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets" and will see tourism as the first strategic industry to boost economic growth.

On the afternoon of Oct 28, Lishui signed deals for 12 tourism projects with a total investment volume of 10.34 billion yuan ($1.56 billion).