Center

Shanghai targets 10 million visitors

By Zhong Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-02-01 10:22

The city's reputation has also been enhanced by the many expos and festivals it has hosted. Shanghai played host to nearly 500 international conferences and 300 international expos last year.

Shanghai has long been an international city, integrating elements of both East and West, giving it a sense of openness.

What brings many visitors from overseas is "the fact that Shanghai, as a huge oriental metropolis, doesn't refuse 'alien' culture and history," said a foreign visitor, quoted by China Tourism News.

In order to realize its goals for 2010, Shanghai is working hard to woo more foreign travelers.

"We will exert great efforts to tap the potential markets in Europe, America, Oceania and Asia by holding promotional conferences in target countries," said the municipal tourism administrative commission.

The city will also cooperate more with Shanghai-based and foreign-funded travel agencies. Foreign-funded travel agencies have been allowed to operate in Shanghai for nearly three years, though some barriers remain.

Shao Qiwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration, said earlier the country would lift restrictions on foreign travel agencies planning to open subsidiaries in China and lower the registered capital requirement for foreign-funded travel agencies to 2.5 million yuan ($317,000) from 4 million yuan ($507,000) on July 1.

(China Daily 02/01/2007 page5)