Numerous tourists come to Laiwu to feast their eyes on air shows given by some of the world's leading stunt pilots.

This year's international aeronautic festival attracted numerous tourists heading to the Xueye Lake tourism area in Laiwu, Shandong province, to feast their eyes on air shows given by some of the world's leading stunt pilots.

"The annual festival is one of the must go tourist destinations in Shandong," said Zhang Zhao, vice director of the management committee of the Xueye Lake tourist area.

Pilots from 20 countries, including France, the United States, Belgium and Britain, attracted more than 300,000 spectators at last year's event.

The area welcomed one million tourists in the first seven months of this year, bringing in 200 million yuan ($31.3 million) in revenue. The number of tourists is expected to exceed 2.2 million by the end of the year, according to Zhang.

Located 46 kilometers away from the provincial capital of Jinan, 70 percent of the 239-square-kilometer area is covered by forests.

More than 20 scenic spots and holiday resorts inhabit the region, including an aviation technology sports park, the Wenchang culture garden, a yacht club, a 20-km-long Jiulong canyon, a modern agriculture technology park, and well-preserved relics of the Great Wall, which were built during the Qi Dynasty (386 - 221 BC). As the permanent host of the international air sports gala, the city's air sports park was built along the shore of the Xueye Lake at a cost of 450 million yuan. Covering an area of 120 hectare, it includes an airfield, a training center and some leisure areas.

Air sports attract projects and investors to the area. Well-known international enterprises such as Evergrand Group, Greentown Group and Joy International have opened branches in Laiwu.

Twenty projects are now under way to promote the tourism in the area. A 10-billion-yuan scenic town at lakeside covers an area of 3.6 million sq m and features an aviation training base, an air sports experience center, amusement parks, a performance center, eco-friendly residential areas and a five-star hotel.

By Wang Qian (China Daily Shandong Bureau)

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Tania Lee