Xi'an to Host Silk Road Int'l Tourism FestivalVisitors are expected to have more fun in Xi'an in October as the 2000 Silk Road International Tourism Festival will be held in the tourist city where the ancient Silk Road started.Addressing a news conference today in Beijing, Li Xuemei, director of the city's Tourism Administration, said there will be more than 20 entertainment programs during the festival slated for October 2-23. The programs include a "Silk Road" float parade, performances and a showcase of food from western China. Seven foreign troupes will also give performances during the carnival, which is jointly sponsored by the National Tourism Administration and Xi'an City People's Government. Li said the city has also prepared some activities in which the visitors can participate. Xi'an, which is over 3,100 years old, has rich tourism resources including 314 historical sites, 84 of them are under state- or provincial-level protection, and more than 120,000 pieces of unearthed cultural relics. All these, plus the local landscape, attract more than 10 million domestic visitors and more than 500,000 overseas visitors annually to the city. And the tourism industry has become a pillar of Xi'an's economy, contributing 13.5 percent to the city's gross domestic product. |
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