HANGZHOU, China, Aug. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hangzhou, the capital city of China's eastern province Zhejiang, is scheduled to host the 15th West Lake International Expo in October, during which a series of exhibitions, forums and leisure activities are expected to attract 10 million visitors and to create business opportunities for approximately 50,000 business executives and businessmen.

According to the West Lake International Expo Organizing Committee, the event, co-organized by Hangzhou's municipal government, the General Administration of Sport of China, the China National Tourism Administration and the Zhejiang Provincial Government, aims to achieve trade turnover amounting to 10 billion yuan (approx. US$1.6 billion), and attract US$1 billion in foreign direct investment.

Hangzhou is well-known for West Lake, a charmingly beautiful lake and lakeside area which was added to the UNESCO's World Heritage Site list in 2011. The main venue for the event is located in the heart of the city -- a city known for both its amazing natural landscapes and rich cultural attractions -- while contemporaneous smaller events will take place at 15 smaller venues located at popular sightseeing stops throughout the Yangtze River Delta region.

The expo, which has the promotion of economic and technological development as its core mission, will focus on the innovations going on in and around Hangzhou as well as on the leisure and tourism, technology and information, trade and investment, cultural and creative, e-commerce, real estate and automotive sectors. The expo's program will provide local opportunities for business executives and businessmen from around the world, in a move to facilitate the social and economic development of the region.

Visitors and exhibitors will have the opportunity to enjoy delicious food, listen to beautiful music, see the enactment of plays focusing on local folkloric customs along with the chance to see and experience other interesting performances and exhibitions at the event.

The West Lake International Expo debuted in 1929 and has become an annual event since it was re-launched in 2000.

From 2000 to 2012, the expo achieved an aggregate trade turnover of 155 billion yuan (approx US$25.4 billion), attracted US$11.4 billion in foreign direct investment and was host to 188 million visitors.

The expo is estimated to contribute approximately 0.5% to Hangzhou's annual GDP.

For more information, please visit: http://www.xh-expo.com/

SOURCE Hangzhou West Lake Expo Organizing Committee