Zheng Hao, deputy director of the Bureau of International Exchanges and Cooperation at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, addresses the opening ceremony of the 2019 International Islands Tourism Conference on Aug 29 in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2019 International Islands Tourism Conference had its grand opening on Zhujiajian Island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province on Aug 29, with the catchy theme: "New Islands, New Scenarios, New Momentum".

Hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the provincial government of Zhejiang, the opening ceremony was attended by nearly 1,000 guests from 25 countries and regions throughout the world.

The annual conference, having been held three consecutive years previously, has become a communications platform for China and island countries, coastal cities and tourist destinations in the world, organizers said. 

They said they will strive to develop the conference into a resource-sharing and trade platform focused on island tourism, to boost the transformation of the entire province's tourism industry and help its local tourism go global.

Zhejiang boasts a sea area of 260,000 square kilometers and a coastline of 6,696 km, which greatly supports local tourism. 

Statistics show that islands in the province received a total of 52.13 million tourists last year, generating revenue of more than 66.9 billion yuan ($9.34 billion).