Source: CCTV.com
11-17-2008 11:10
Special Report: Post-quake reconstructionMore efforts to help revitalize tourism in Sichuan, the province worst-hit by the May 12th earthquake. China's National Tourism Administration and the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations jointly held a meeting on Sunday in the provincial capital of Chengdu to see what can be done.
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China's National Tourism Administration and the World Tourism |
The meeting called for help from the international community. The 300 participants discussed how the tourism sector should react to emergencies, like natural disasters. Meanwhile, local tourism departments are inviting travellers from both home and abroad to get on-the-spot experience in the province. Market operators say they have felt the changes in the past months.
Gou Yongjun, Marketing Manager of Mt. Emei Tourism Resort said "Tourism has been recovering since the disaster ended. We have 3,000 to 4,000 tourists everyday."
Another famous travel resort, Jiuzhaigou, has joined hands with hotels and airlines to offer more discounts. And through March 31st of next year, Jiuzhaigou will offer its off-season ticket price of 80 yuan.
Sichuan re-opened the local tourism market in three phases. During the National Day holiday, Sichuan witnessed more than 16 million travellers, almost the same as last year.
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| Zhang Gu, Director of Sichuan Tourism Bureau |
Zhang Gu, Director of Sichuan Tourism Bureau said "The earthquake only destroyed a small part of the province. Most of our tourism facilities are still good. We expect a full recovery by the end of next year."
In the near future, Sichuan will launch several featured travel itineraries, including ones focused on pandas, Buddhist cultures near Mount Emei, and the Kangting folk culture.
Editor:Xiong Qu
