Wuning in the northwest part of Jiangxi province has promoted a series of events such as marathons, art festivals, and camping, and attracted several healthcare projects thanks to its ecological advantages.

Wuning is harnessing the potential of nature-based tourism to boost local economy while protecting environment and ecology. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 2019, Wuning saw 8.02 million visits with tourism-related revenue hitting 6.67 billion yuan ($964 million). Average annual growth rate of tourists and tourism-related revenue reached 20.1 percent and 24.8 percent, respectively, from 2016 to 2019.

Wuning's development of nature-based tourism is benefited from the county's stepped up efforts to preserve ecology and protecting environment.

The county has been investing nearly 100 million yuan to protect forestry every year. To date, average rate of forestry has reached 75.49 percent. It has also invested 200 million yuan to prevent improper fishing to protect ecological systems of local lakes and rivers.

Other measures include shutting down 58 industrial companies that had improper emissions and banning fireworks to ensure good air quality.