Zhuhai, the nearest inland city to Macao, had an unprecedented tourism boom during this year's Spring Festival, which fell on February 5.

In the seven-day holiday season, about 500,000 people visited scenic sites in Zhuhai, located in Guangdong Province, including 200,000 overnight tourists, with the occupancy rate at some hotels and restaurants reaching 100 percent, local sources said.

They attributed the success to the return of Macao to the motherland on December 20, 1999, saying that the event prompted many domestic tourists to use their holiday vacations to visit Zhuhai and Macao together.

Statistics show that from February 5-11, some 38,000 people visited Macao after brief stays in Zhuhai, up 23,000 from last year's lunar New Year season.

In recent years, Zhuhai has invested heavily in improving its environment and building new scenic sites. Various transport companies added additional bus services and lengthened operating schedules.