"But we'll have to wait and see what kind of places these transit passengers want to visit during such a brief stay, and what future confirmation times are likely to be," he added.
Tourism officials have revealed details of a special "countdown ceremony" being planned to take place at the capital's Summer Palace, considered the largest and best-preserved imperial garden in China, to celebrate the arrival of 2013 on the evening of Dec 31.
The ceremony, starting at 10:30 pm, will feature various performers and be capped with a huge fireworks display at midnight, Wang said.
"It's a new idea to celebrate with a New Year countdown party in the imperial garden.
"But it's the perfect chance to introduce Beijing's tourism and cultural resources to the world, especially as these new visa regulations come into force."
Wang said compared with other international tourist destination cities, Beijing still has work to do to fully develop its tourism resources and strengthen its image.
New Year's Eve countdown celebrations have become popular in many cities, attracting huge tourism numbers around the holiday season.
Sex case leads to warnings about apps on smartphones
Feedback
RSS
