The International Tourism Studies Association certified Cangyuan county, in Yunnan province, as an International Tourism Resort at a promotional event held on Friday in Beijing's Great Hall of the People .

The Cangyuan resort became the first to receive the ITSA of China certification.

Alastair Morrison, president of ITSA, listed the Va ethnic culture and the area's wildlife as the most crucial elements for the certification.

Cangyuan is considered the cradle of Va culture with a long history of more than 3,500 years.

The county has the biggest numbers of Va in the country, and the ethnic group accounts for 80 percent of the county's population.

With the region's tropical and subtropical climates, species like the Asian elephant, Bengal tiger, slow loris and green peacock can be could be found in the primeval forests of Cangyuan.

"Cangyuan has a large potential for future development with its renowned Va culture and unique natural ecological environment," according to Wu Dianting, professor at the Beijing Normal University's school of geography.

"But it must take care not to fall into the cliches of other tourism resorts," he added.