A launch ceremony for a media tour of picturesque villages in Southeast China's Fujian province was held in the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone (PCPZ) on Nov 2.

Officials announce the opening of a media tour to beautiful villages in Fujian province at a launch ceremony held in Pingtan, Fujian, on Nov 2. [Photo/china.org.cn]

The week-long tour, co-organized by the Fujian Provincial Tourism Administration and China Tourism News, aimed to increase the exposure of Fujian's rural tourism and push the development of the province's Beautiful Countryside project.

A team of journalists from 25 media outlets including people.cn, Economic Daily, and China National Radio took part in the trip to 17 villages across Fujian.

Two routes were designed for the media team, one to the villages in the mountains and one to villages along coast.

Journalists participating in a media tour to beautiful villages in Fujian province pose for a group photo on Nov 2. [Photo/china.org.cn]

Su Qingci, deputy head of the Fujian Provincial Tourism Administration, said at the ceremony that tourism is one of Fujian's pillar industries and implored the reporters to help introduce the beauty of Fujian's villages to more people throughout the country.

Xie Xiutong, deputy director of PCPZ's administrative committee, spoke about Pingtan's goal of becoming an international tourist destination and expressed his hopes that the reporters could promote Pingtan's villages and help the zone build its tourism brands.