The 6th China Tea Tourism Conference takes place in Tiantai county, Taizhou. [Photo/Tide News]

The 6th China Tea Tourism Conference, hosted by the China Tea Marketing Association, was held in Tiantai county, Taizhou, Zhejiang province, from April 23 to 25. The event attracted tea enterprises, cultural and tourism institutions, industry organizations, and research institutes from nearly 20 provinces and cities.

Tiantai county, known for its tea culture, has over 6,866 hectares of tea gardens and more than 30,000 tea business operators. It has established three major tea industry belts: Tiantai Yunwu tea, Tiantai yellow tea, and Longjing tea, whose products are popular nationwide.

The county also features more than 20 ecological tea gardens, attracting over 100,000 tourists annually.

Tiantai plans to expand and improve its tea gardens over the next five years and create an integrated industry value chain of agriculture, commerce, and cultural tourism with an annual output value exceeding 1.5 billion yuan ($205.86 million), according to Wang Haiqing, deputy director of the Tiantai bureau of agriculture and rural affairs.

Tiantai's tea products are displayed during the conference. [Photo/Tide News]

The China Tea Tourism Conference has become a leading event in the tea culture and tourism sector since it began in 2018. Wang Qing, president of the China Tea Marketing Association, highlighted Tiantai's potential for driving the integrated development of the tea industry and tourism, aiming to establish the county as a model for such integration in China.

During the conference, key events included the appointment of chief experts in Tiantai county's tea industry development and the signing of cooperation agreements with prominent institutions. Discussions focused on exploring new paths for high-quality tea culture and tourism development and empowering the industry through healthy tourism practices.