Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, January 12, 2003
Shanghai Sets New Goals for Tourism Industry
Shanghai is set to attract three million overseas tourists this year, earning 2.6 billion US dollars in foreign exchange, according to a tourism official.
Shanghai is set to attract three million overseas tourists this year, earning 2.6 billion US dollars in foreign exchange, according to a tourism official.
The city also aims to receive 95 million domestic tourists for an income of 87.6 billion yuan (10.59 billion US dollars), said Yao Mingbao, director of the city tourism committee.
To reach the goals, a series of measures will be adopted to boost the development of the tourism industry, said Yao, with priority given to formulating regulations to ensure the operation of tourism enterprises and administration of scenic spots in accordance with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
The city will also permit foreign tourism agencies to set up joint ventures or solely-funded travel services at an earlier datethan what China has promised for its WTO entry and encourage localenterprises to explore the international tourism market.
The construction of tourism facilities in urban and scenic areas will be sped up.
Statistics show Shanghai received more than 2.7 million overseas tourists last year, a rise of 33.42 percent over the previous year. A total of 87.5 million Chinese tourists visited the city, six percent more than the previous year.