"The festival has enriched the tourism experience of visitors to Pingtan and improved the city's profile among the visitors," said Wu Jiehua, director of Pingtan bureau of tourism development.

According to Wu, the event is just part of a series of events designed to turn the group of islands in the Taiwan Strait into an international tourist destination.

The city is also expected to hold a raft of high profile sports events in 2017, including the 2017 ‘Ocean Cup' Cycling Race and the China National Beach Volleyball Tournament.

A model in a blue dress walks the catwalk during a fashion show, part of the closing ceremony of Pingtan's first hot air balloon fiesta, held on May 7. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]