ĦĦĦĦBEIJING, June 11 (Xinhuanet) -- China's tourism industry, one of the country's
economic sectors victimized by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)
disease, has begun to pick up since the beginning of June as the epidemic has
been on decline and is disappearing.
ĦĦĦĦThe National Tourism Administration (NTA) has decided to re-open the
domestic tourism market gradually following the World Health Organization's
(WHO) lifted its tourism advisory against Guangdong province on May 23.
ĦĦĦĦThe NTA also decided steadily to resume the work of organizing Chinese
citizens traveling abroad and overseas tourists traveling in China in compliance
with the SARS situation.
ĦĦĦĦSince Guangdong-Hong Kong and Macao travel resumed in early June, Shenzhen
city, neighboring Hong Kong, has seen a rapid rise in the number of tourist
groups to and from Hong Kong. The city sent 36 tourist groups to Hong Kong on
Jun. 1 alone.
ĦĦĦĦGuangdong province was China's first province affected by SARS,with more
than 1,500 people infected. Most of the SARS patients have been discharged from
hospitals in the province.
ĦĦĦĦOwing to the outbreak of SARS, all the province's tourism agencies
suspended operations at the end of April.
ĦĦĦĦThere are more signals indicating the gradual recovery of the tourism
industry.
ĦĦĦĦThe Beijing Safari Park re-opened to visitors on Jun. 7 after
atwo-month closure because of SARS and, in Hainan, an island province in south China,
local tourists have begun flocking to attractions such as the tropical wildlife
and plant park, and the coastal scenic spots in Sanya city at the southern tip
of the island.
ĦĦĦĦThe outbreak of SARS dealt a severe blow to China's tourism industry.
Statistics show that the country received 5.649 million tourists from overseas
in April, 30 percent less than the figure for the same month of last year. The
number of stay-over foreign tourists was only 1.82 million for April, a drop of
42 percent as compared with the same month last year.
ĦĦĦĦThe national capital, Beijing, hosted 18,000 tourists from overseas in May,
a drastic decrease of 93.9 percent year-on-year.
ĦĦĦĦTo revive China's tourism industry, many provinces including southwest
China's Sichuan and Yunnan provinces and eastern Jiangsuprovince have launched
tourism promotion activities, encouraging people to travel within their own
provinces. Such programs have encouraged a large number of travelers.
ĦĦĦĦThe scenic zone around Qingcheng Mountain and Dujiang river Damscenic zone
in the southwestern Sichuan province, which has been cited on the World Natural
and Cultural Heritage list, began to receive tourists from Jun. 1. More than
26,000 people from Sichuantraveled to the site that very day.
ĦĦĦĦJiuzhaigou, another World Natural Heritage site in Sichuan, attracted more
than 10,000 native tourists that day, and the number of visitors to the elegant
and lovely site have since begunto pick up.
ĦĦĦĦMore than 20 scenic spots in the province joined the tourism promotion
activity of "Sichuan people traveling in Sichuan".
ĦĦĦĦMeanwhile, east China's Jiangsu Province resumed in-province travel on Jun.
7. And more than 800 travel agencies in the province resumed business the same
day.
ĦĦĦĦIn the latest development, over 30 travel agencies from across China signed
a SARS control agreement Tuesday afternoon in Guangzhou, capital of southern
Guangdong province, in preparation for the rejuvenation of the industry.
ĦĦĦĦThe travel companies agreed to prioritize tourists' health and safety as
the people are urged time and again to maintain their vigilance against the
possible re-emergence of the SARS disease.
ĦĦĦĦIncomplete statistics show that passenger numbers on flights between
China's major tourist cities have resumed to the 50 to 90 percent of their
levels prior to the SARS outbreak. Enditem
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