China’s self-developed 500-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), the world’s largest radio telescope, in Kedu Township, Pingtang County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, has boosted local tourism since it was put into operation in September 2016, gzdsw.com reported on Sept. 27.

More than 240,000 Chinese and overseas visitors came to see the telescope in the past year, bringing enormous business opportunities to locals.

Statistics by the local tourism bureau show that the number of tourists in the county reached 5.14 million in the first half of the year, up 40.1 percent, bring 4.6 billion RMB ($692.5 million) in revenue during the same period.

A county official noted that another 47 hotels, 239 restaurants, and six tourist commodity processing factories have opened to serve tourists since FAST’s operation, providing locals with 33,000 jobs.

The official added that the county has become a science playground that promotes science and space education and cultural exchanges, attracting an increasing number of tourists from both at home and abroad.