Representatives of 46 cities that boast the best sceneries in China gathered in Sanya, Hainan Province, Saturday to launch an alliance to boost exchanges and cooperate more on promotion and marketing.

As a non-profit organization, the alliance will integrate resources of its members on management, human resources, marketing, among others, to serve the interests of all the 46 cities, said Wang Yong, mayor of south China's seaside resort city Sanya and president of the alliance.

Members of the China Alliance for Cities with 5A-Class Scenic Spots include Beijing, Shanghai, Huangshan in the eastern Anhui Province, Guilin in the southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Lijiang in the southwestern Yunnan Province.

It will have liaison offices in Beijing and Sanya.

The alliance will promote the idea among both domestic and foreign tourists that cities with the 5A-Class sceneries are the most beautiful places in China, said Prof. Wang Xingbin, a tourism expert with the Beijing International Studies University.

"The alliance shall be more market-oriented and we want to see more promotion activities through this new platform," said He Xianzhong, a representative from Lijiang.

A total of 68 tourist attractions in 55 cities across China have been granted the title of National 5A-Class Scenic Spots, the highest rating in China's tourism industry, by the National Tourism Administration since the administration began the rating in 2007.