The 2013 H1 China Hong'an Hot Air Balloon Challenge and the "Green village, beautiful Hong'an" Aerial Photography Competition will be held in Hong'an county, in Huanggang city of Hubei province, from Oct 25 to 28, hubeitour.gov.cn reported.

The events are organized by the Aero Sports Federation of China and the Hong'an government, and they will offer Hong'an the opportunity to experiment merging cultural tourism and the development of sports.

In recent years, the county has also held a variety of activities to raise awareness about its various attractions, in a bid to push forward its economic development.

The first Huanggang Dabie Mountains drifting competition was held from June to August, and about 3,000 tourists visited Duitian River scenic spot, one of the event's venues, every day, resulting in a 20 percent year-on-year increase in tourism revenue.

In addition, about 100,000 visitors from home and abroad arrived in Hong'an this spring, during the second Hubei Hong'an Buddhist Music Cultural Tourism Festival, with the theme "Tiantai Buddhist music, harmonious world", resulting in nearly 100 million yuan ($16.44 million) in tourism income for the county.

Edited by Niva Whyman