Northwest China's Shaanxi province is seizing the opportunities brought by the country's Belt and Road Initiative and developing its tourism industry, according to the provincial tourism head.

In endorsing the initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping, Shaanxi, as the starting point of the ancient Silk Road and China's most significant central city in the Eurasian continental bridge, has kept tourism momentum going through industrial upgrading and transformation, said Yang Zhongwu, director of the Shaanxi Provincial Tourism Administration.

Statistics show that more than 316 million travelers from home and abroad visited the province in the first three quarters of the year, with tourism revenues totaling 248.93 billion yuan ($39.18 billion), up 21.4 percent year-on-year.

Shaanxi province boasts seven 5A national-level scenic spots, including Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, Huaqing Palace, Huashan Mountain, Jinsi Grand Canyon and the Terracotta Warriors.

Three more sites, Taibai Mountain, Xi'an City Wall and the Stele Forest tourist zone and Qinling Zhong Nan Shan Geopark are on the way to becoming top-tier sites, Yang said.

"We have achieved impressive performance in the tourism commodities industry with the establishment of four tourist research and development bases. More than 800 enterprises have involved themselves in the sector, recording 30 billion yuan in sales revenue," he said.

Shaanxi Provincial Tourism Administration has intensified its efforts in brand building with an aim to project a beautiful and charming Shaanxi image to the public, Yang said.

Xi'an held the Tourism Ministerial Meeting of Countries Along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 7th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism on June 19.

Tourism ministers and representatives from more than 20 countries, including the secretary-general of the United Nations' World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai, and Li Jinbao, director of the China National Tourism Administration, were invited to attend and exchange notes.

Xi'an has also gained substantial achievements through the China Xi'an Silk Road International Tourism Expo 2015, with more than 2,000 tourist agreements worth 300 million yuan concluded between Sept 11 and 13.

"By holding such high profile events, we want to convey the idea to the world that Shaanxi province is ready to build an international platform by extending its influence as the starting point of the Silk Road," Yang said.

He added that they would help to promote relaxed visa regulations for cross-border tourism and make major strides in rural tourism growth.

"Next year, with the theme of spreading the Silk Road civilization to the whole world, we will host the Dialogue of Qinling Mountains with the Yellow River 2016 to promote Shaanxi province's image," Yang said.

The administration will further encourage international cooperation with countries along the Silk Road by improving relevant mechanisms, according to Yang.

The administration will also assist the China National Tourism Administration in hosting the 2016 Sino-US Tourism Year and the 2016 Sino-South Korean Tourism Year for advancing bilateral cooperation in culture and tourism in the long run.

Yang said that Shaanxi province, as one of the most important cradles of Chinese civilization, is ready to invigorate its tourism industry by opening wider to outside markets.