The sixth Straits Travel Fair (CSTF) is due to open tonight at the Xiamen International Conference and Exhibition Center. Fujian will unveil 177 tourism-related investment projects calling for a total investment of RMB 61.713 billion.

With the theme of “Cross-Strait Tourism, Cooperation and Mutual Benefit”, this year’s CSTF will be held to coincide with the 14th China International Fair for Investment and Trade (CIFIT). The principal events include: exhibition of premium tourist programs (exhibition of tourism resources and promotion of tourist products, etc.), investment and cooperation in tourism, a cross-strait tour 1+1 matchmaking symposium, and a tourism promotion seminar.

Other events include: the Wuyi Mountain Bicycling Carnival, the 8th Cross-Strait Hakka Tourist Festival, the Awards-presenting Ceremony of the “Taimu Mountain-2010 Chinese Youth’s Favorite Tourist Destination Voting Event” of the 6th Cross-Strait Travel Fair, the 1st Quanzhou and Nanan Koxinga Cultural and Tourist Festival and exploration of tour routes (including Kinmen, Penghu and Mastu, Fujian and the neighboring provinces and cities).

A number of exhibitors from the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia will also be featured.

This year’s Fair will have 408 exhibition booths, 88 more than last year. The exhibition area will be increased to 8,000 square meters, including 84 booths for Heisey (65 ones for Fujian), 70 booths for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, 30 booths of other provinces and cities, 80 theme pavilions for scenic areas, 80 pavilions for domestic and overseas enterprises, 44 sales exhibition booths as well as 1000 square meters of outdoor exhibition space for new forms of businesses.

This year’s exhibitors represent a greater number of countries and regions; they come from ASEAN and East Asia, as well as mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.