The summit forum at the Asia Tourism-Induced Film and TV Arts Week opens in Taizhou's Luqiao district, Zhejiang province, July 30. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The Asia Tourism-Induced Film and TV Arts Week opened on July 30 in Taizhou, Zhejiang province.

Sponsored by the China TV Artists Association, the Zhejiang Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television, and by the Taizhou government, the weeklong event is designed to promote tourism and cultural exchanges across Asian countries, while showcasing Taizhou's latest achievements in both film and tourism.

From over 1,200 entries from 23 countries including the United States, France, Russia and Japan, 513 film and television productions have been selected to showcase the cultural and economic achievements tourism has brought to various parts of the world.

"The aim of the Asia Tourism-Induced Film and TV Arts Week is to celebrate understanding, discovery and joy through audio-visual presentations," said Yu Hong, director of Peking University's television research center, at the summit.

Cao Sanxing, professor of the New Media Institute at Communication University of China, gave a speech titled Innovation of Tourism, Film and Video in the Internet Era.

"The essence of tourism is to amass augmented experiences and lifestyles. Tourism-focused films and videos can reach wider audiences online, becoming mobilized by social media integration," said Cao.

The forum also invited famous Iranian film director, Ebrahim Mokhtari, to speak about the history and development of Iran's film and television industry.

Including 27 international works, some 134 tourism-focused documentaries, short films, and online movies were given awards during the summit.

The international event, which closes Aug 1, will include a series of forums, symposiums and awards ceremonies.