The 2019 China Forest Tourism Festival kicked off in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province on Oct 18, bridging eco-tourism products with demand from the market and further spreading the vision that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".

A variety of activities will showcase the latest achievements made in the development of beautiful China and forest tourism, as well as attract visitors to come and experience the charm of forest tours in Nantong.

The number of tourists visiting forest areas has kept growing in recent years. In 2018, there were 1.6 billion visits to forest areas across China, accounting for 30 percent of the total number of domestic visits around the country.

The importance of developing forest tourism not only lies in the construction of ecological civilization and building a beautiful China but also in promoting rural revitalization and precise poverty alleviation. Nature educational programs have attracted more and more attention with the accelerated development of forest tourism.

The exhibition space on nature education is a crowded area at the 2019 China Forest Tourism Festival. About 100 teenagers expressed their love of nature and motherland by singing songs in a flash mob. They participated in activities in the "Beautiful China Teenager Said" program, which was launched in 2018 aiming to explore innovative practices in nature education.