YINCHUAN, May 9 (Xinhua) -- The 47th World Congress of Vine and Wine will be held in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, from Oct. 12 to 16, local authorities said Saturday.

This will be the first time for the congress, to be held alongside the 24th General Assembly of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), to be hosted in Asia and in China since its launch in 1924.

Jointly hosted by the OIV and the regional government of Ningxia, the event is expected to bring greater international attention to China's wine industry and to Ningxia, one of the country's leading wine-producing regions.

The congress will be themed around building a new global landscape for the vine and wine industry, with a focus on transformation, innovation and sustainability in response to emerging challenges.

It will include four sessions covering viticulture, winemaking, economy and law, and health and safety. Discussions will focus on stable and resilient grape production, technological innovation in winemaking, legal and economic support for the industry amid market changes, and the integration of health and sustainability across the wine value chain.

The eastern foot of Helan Mountain in Ningxia has become China's largest contiguous wine grape production area. The region has 607,000 mu, or about 40,467 hectares, of wine grape planting and development area, accounting for nearly 42 percent of China's total.

Ningxia, home to 261 wine enterprises, including 130 wineries, produces 140 million bottles of wine annually.

The local wine industry has also become a driver of tourism. Wineries in Ningxia receive more than 3.7 million tourist visits each year, generating combined benefits of over 50 billion yuan (about 7.3 billion U.S. dollars). ■