The declaration requires the signatories to cooperate in areas such as passenger source search, tourism promotion and cross-city customer service. Tourism authorities and travel agencies have started to promote one-day or two-day tours, targeting at travelers during the weekends.

Wang Yuansheng, deputy director of Tourism Admin. of Shandong Province, said, “The Beijing Shanghai High Speed Railway provides a good platform to organize the travel resources across provinces. We will unite in the future to promote more attractive routes, connecting Beijing, Tianjin and Shandong.”

He Zhineng, deputy director of Tianjin Tourism Bureau, said, “Tourism sector along the Beijing Shanghai High Speed Railway will be changed. We need a platform to cooperate, to deal with these changes. It also allows us to further promote the cooperation to a bigger region, to promote the development of tourism industry.”

Source: Xinhuanet/etn

Beijing Shanghai High Speed Rail / Image via bjreview.com.cn

Fujian Hakka Tulou is “the most extraordinary type of Chinese rural dwelling” of the Hakka and others in the mountainous areas of western Fujian, China. They were mostly built between the 12th and the 20th centuries.

A tulou is usually a large, enclosed, and fortified earth building, rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high, and can house up to 80 families. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, with the whole structure resembling a small fortified city.

The fortified outer structures are formed by compacting earth, mixed with stone, bamboo, wood and other readily-available materials, to form walls up to 6 feet (1.8 m) thick. Branches, strips of wood, and bamboo chips are often laid in the wall as additional reinforcement. The end result is a well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof and earthquake-proof building that is warm in winter and cool in summer.

Yongding County, located in the west of Xiamen, is the hometown of Fujian Hakka Tulou. Hakka Yongding is also known as the “Kingdom of Earth Buildings” where there are more than 23,000 Tulous scattered through out Yongding County, including thousands of large-scale Tulous.

On July 7, 2008, at the 32nd session of the UNESCO World Heritage Conference, Fujian Tulou was officially added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Fujian Tulou has attracted a vast number of tourists since it was included on the World Heritage List. The number of tourists soared to 1 million in 2010, compared to 700,000 in 2009 and 300,000 in 2008. Yongding County will increase tourism investments year by year and will strive to receive up to 2 million tourists in 2011, according to Qiyong Wang, the Deputy Secretary of the Nanjing County Party Committee and the vice governor of Yongding County Government.

During the Spring Festival of 2010, President Hu Jintao visited Zhengchen Lou and Chengqi Lou, singing high praise for Hakka Tulou. He said Hakka Tulou is not only a world heritage site, but a treasure of Chinese tradition culture, a typical community where families live harmoniously under the same roof for generations. President Hu’s visit triggered the booming of tourism of Hakka Tulou in Yongding county, Longyan City, Fujian province.

Zhenchenglou, nicknamed “the prince of tulou”, is located in Hongkeng village, Hukeng township of Yongding County. It was built in 1912 by the descendents of a rich tobacco merchant. Zhenchenglou is a double ring tulou. Its outer ring is four stories high with 184 rooms, while the inner ring is two stories with 32 rooms. The outer ring was partitioned into four segments according to Bagua concepts of Chinese Fengshui. Western influence is evident in the Greek style columns of the ancestral hall, and in the wrought iron railing of the second level corridor.

Chengqilou, nicknamed “the king of tulou”, part of the Gaobei Tulou cluster at Gaotou village of Yongding County, was built in 1709. It is a massive rotunda tulou with four concentric rings surrounding an ancestral hall at the centre, the outer ring is 62.6 meters in diameter and four stories tall, with 288 rooms. 72 rooms line each level, with circular corridors on the 2nd to 4th floors, and four sets of staircases at cardinal points, which connect the ground to top floors. The ground floor rooms are kitchens for family branches, the second level rooms are grain storage rooms, and the 3rd and 4th floor rooms are living quarters and bedrooms. The second ring of 80 rooms is two stories high, with 40 rooms on each level, the third ring serves as a community library, one storey with 32 rooms; there are 370 rooms in all. The 4th ring is a circular, covered corridor surrounding the ancestral hall. If a person stayed for one night in each room, it would take him more than a year to go through all the rooms. At its heyday, there were more than 80 families, up to 600 people, who lived in Chengqilou.

Zhouzhuang

Zhouzhuang is the most prominent water town from the six that were built along the Yellow River. It is also known as “Venice of the Orient” and dates back to 11th century. The most famous tourist attraction of the town is one of the Zhouzhuang’s 14 stone bridges – Double Bridge. However, there are many other interesting places that tourists can admire. Beautiful whitewashed houses with black-tile roofs and red doors and windows, which can be found along the waterways, are fine examples of traditional Suzhou architecture.

Wuzhen

Having more than 81% of buildings that date back to ancient times and unique local culture, Wuzhen has been recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site. It also is the most well preserved water town from the six. To tourists it may look as if the time stopped here long time ago. Local people lead uncomplicated life. They keep their ancient traditions without paying any attention to technological progress. They buy their food through the windows right from trade boats and local craftsmen practice their business in the same way as their ancestor did 1.000 years ago.

Xitang

Xitang, yet another water town, is well-known for its covered arcades and numerous picturesque lanes and bridges. The town goes back to the period between 476 BC – 221 BC and has a great number of striking buildings that originate in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Tourists are most attracted to the Covered Corridor in Xitang because of its charming architecture. It is also quite practical as it serves as a shelter from both boiling sun and torrential rain. Whatever the weather, tourists can rest there and enjoy a nice cup of coffee or a refreshing glass of ice-cold water while watching the bustle on the river.

Tongli

Featuring some of the most spectacular sights in the world, Tongli is the most romantic from the six water towns. It is divided into seven islands that are connected with 49 arched stone bridges. Each section of the town offers amazing views of antique waterfront houses and 15 canals, which separate the islands, are lined with green willows. Many tourists are also attracted by the large number of old houses and temples that originate in the Ming dynasty.

Zhujiajiao

Zhujiajiao is situated in the west of Shanghai and is one the most well preserved ancient towns in the area. When you grow tired of the busy life and impersonal skyscrapers of Shanghai, Zhujiajiao is the perfect place to escape to. The atmosphere is much calmer here. The town features beautiful bridges and old houses built in ancient Chinese architecture that goes back to the Ming and Qing dynasties. Tourists appreciate the most the centuries-old North Street that has some of the most amazing examples of ancient architecture.

Nanxun

Nanxun, though not so old as the other water towns (approximately 700 years old), attracts tourists with its spectacular gardens. The Small Lotus Garden goes back to the late Qing Dynasty and has some fine examples of orchids. Together with the Jiaye Book-Collecting Hall, which is full of exotic flowers of different colors and shapes, they are considered the most famous gardens of Nanxun. The gardens are not the only attraction of the town. Local architecture is also very interesting to explore as its buildings have remained in almost their original shape in spite of the fact that the town has withstood many wars.

from www.tourism-review.com

China Danxia is the name given in China to landscapes developed on continental red terrigenous sedimentary beds formed by endogenous forces (including uplift) and exogenous forces (including weather and erosion). The inscribed site comprises six areas found in the sub-tropical zone of southwest China. They are characterized by spectacular red cliffs and a range of erosional landforms, including dramatic natural pillars, towers, ravines, valleys, and waterfalls. These rugged landscapes have helped to conserve sub-tropical broad-leaved evergreen forests and host many species of flora and fauna, about 400 of which are considered rare or threatened.

For more information, please visit the official website of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (“UNESCO”) at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1335/ or http://whc.unesco.org/en/news/645 .

The Great Golden Lake was recognized as a Global Geopark by the UNESCO in February 2005. It is located in Taining, surrounding to Sanming, Nanping of Fujian Province and Nanchang of Jiangxi Province. This world-class tourist attraction covers more than 230 square kilometers and includes five main scenic areas: (1) Golden Lake, (2) Shangqing River, (3) Zhuangyuan Rock, (4) Luohan Mountain, and (5) Taining Old Town. In 2001, China Yida gained the management rights of the Great Golden Lake for 31 years and invested $30 million to improve the infrastructure. Through a well-designed marketing campaign, the company has succeeded in increasing the number of visitors from 30,000 in 2001 to 640,000 in 2009.

“We feel honored that Taining’s China Danxia landform was inscribed onto the World Natural Heritage List. We will continue to make every effort to protect the scenery within the Great Golden Lake to enable tourists from all over the world to enjoy the beauty of our natural heritage,” commented Dr. Minhua Chen, China Yida’s chairman and chief executive officer. The Great Golden Lake is China Yida’s flagship tourist destination.

Source: yidacn.net/etn

Danxia landform / Image via yeschinatour.com

The World Park is situated approximately 17 km far from downtown Beijing and was created to bring the world’s most famous landmarks to China. Their miniature versions were built with utmost resemblance. To achieve the best results, even materials used were miniature versions of the originals. And today, 50 countries are represented in this miniature world of wonders.

The park covers an impressive area of 46.7 ha and is divided into several areas: Asia, Africa, Europe, America and Latin America. To make exploration fun and easy, visitors may comfortably ride around in battery-operated cars and enjoy the views. The Pyramids of Giza, French Notre Dame Cathedral, India’s Taj Mahal, Italian Leaning Tower of Pisa, a Netherlands Windmill, or the Statue of Liberty are only a few examples. There is a rich cultural program all year round, featuring anything from concerts to folklore dances, cooking shows and souvenirs from all over the world.

www.tourism-review.com

The Asian Games are the second largest sports event in the world after the Summer Olympic Games.

According to Mr. Hu Bingjie, Deputy Director of Medical Services Department of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, in total, there are more than 2,000 medical volunteers in place and around 100 ambulances available to provide safe, efficient and convenient medical services, emergency treatment and ambulance transfer services during Games-time.

An outpatient department will be built up in the Athletes’ Village of Asian Games Town with an offering of basic first aid, physiotherapy, biochemical testing and medical imaging to athletes and team officials from October 25 to November 30. Outpatient services will be available from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., with emergency treatment and ambulance transfer service provided 24 hours a day.

Medical stations will be established in the delegate offices of every delegation representing National Olympic Committees (NOCs) from the 45 countries and regions in Asia, where accredited medical personnel from each delegate are able to attend to their athletes.

In addition, medical stations will be set up in the sub-Athletes’ Village in Shanwei, Huadu and Conghua; all competition venues and training venues of the Games and other non-competition venues including the OCA Headquarters Hotel (Garden Hotel), Media Village, Main Media Centre, Technical Officials’ Village, ports of entry/departure and the Asian Games Youth Camp.

Currently 35 medical institutions in Guangzhou and three in the co-host cities of Shanwei, Dongguan and Foshan have been named as designated hospitals and they will organize and deploy exclusive “Asian Games Zones” for outpatient, emergency, inpatient treatments and consultation services.

Mr. Hu also said that efforts have been made to monitor every link of the food production and supply chain, including planting and breeding, processing, catering as well as entry and exit. He emphasized that a “dynamic monitoring system” is in place for Asian Games food from farmland to restaurants. Meanwhile, Games’ organizers have enhanced sanitary inspection of drinking water across Guangzhou and co-host cities.

Mr. Hu said that Guangzhou city mangers will closely watch all potential epidemics in China and internationally as medical authorities have put Games-related personnel under health and symptom surveillance and conducted epidemiological analysis of people with contagious diseases or suspected cases. He added that efforts have also been made to cleanse pest breeding sites and control the vector density across the city, especially at Asian Games venues and the Asian Games Town.

Mr. Hu explained that more than 500 sanitary inspection and disease control professionals in Guangzhou have formed 58 venue-based public health teams that will monitor food, drinking water, public-place sanitation and indoor air quality at Games venues to prevent and control contagious diseases and vectors as well as implementing smoking control policies and handling any potential public health incidents at Games venues.

Local authorities have also set up seven, municipal-level health emergency teams and several district (county) level health emergency teams that will respond to emergency incidents around the clock during the Games which detailed planning for any possible event such as contagious diseases, food poisoning incidents, nuclear/radiation accidents and terrorist attacks using chemical or biological weapons.

About The 16th Asian Games

The 16th Asian Games (www.gz2010.cn/en) is approved and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia and will be held in “Flower City” of Guangzhou from November 12 – 27, 2010. More than 14,000 athletes, trainers and coaches from 45 countries and regions will compete in 42 sports. More than 10,000 accredited and non-accredited worldwide media are anticipated to cover the Games with more than three million spectators expected to attend.

BEIJING, China (eTN) – Hundreds of both high level management, government officials and journalists are currently here in the capital city of China for the tenth edition of the annual World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) ’s global travel and tourism summit.

At the event’s opening ceremony, WTTC chairman Geoffrey J W Kent welcomed the delegates, as did officials from Beijing, the Beijing Tourism Administration and the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). Beijing Tourism Administration looked back at Beijing’s achievements in tourism including its successful stint as host of the Summer Olympic Games in 2008 and gave exciting insight on projects, while CNTA gave a progress report on both domestic and international tourism. Clearly, there is no denying that both China’s inbound and outbound tourist numbers are on a steady rise. The trend at the moment, however, for Chinese travelers is to travel either within China or to neighboring countries.

“Besides greatly furthering the internationalization of Beijing, the successful hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games has also created a better environment and more opportunities for the development of Beijing tourism,” said Zhang Huiguang, director of Beijing Tourism Administration said. “During the 2008 Olympic Games when over ten million domestic and overseas tourists came to Beijing, our star hotels, travel agents, inbound tour groups, and major tourist attractions achieved the goal of zero complaint, elevating the service quality of Beijing tourism to a new height.”

The Beijing tourism official also said: “This new height has become our standard and guideline of service and hospitality, and the “Olympic-style reception” and “Beijing-style service” have begun to be recognized by domestic and overseas tourists. Third, the quality of Beijing’s tourism resources has been greatly improved.”

On Beijing tourism as a whole, the Beijing official said: “Beijing has abundant tourism resources, and the 2008 Olympic Games have further enriched them and remarkably improved their quality. With the remodeling of its original tourism resources, the services and facilities of Beijing’s major tourist attractions have been further standardized and internationalized; “Bird’s Nest”, “Water Cube”, other Olympic venues and the Olympic Park have become fresh highlights of Beijing tourism; additionally, Beijing’s historic and cultural tourism resources have been excavated and enhanced, and the number of its modern shopping centers and places of recreation has substantially increased. In short, the successful hosting the 29th Olympic Games has brought Beijing tourism into a new era of development.”

Beijing Tourism Administration director Zhang Huiguang also said: “After a period of hard work, Beijing expects to increase its tourism income to account for more than 10 percent of its entire GDP, reap an annual income of over US$10 billion from inbound tourism, receive over 10 million inbound tourists, and attract some 200 million domestic tourists. According to her, to meet the requirements of a world-class tourism city, Beijing is developing a high level tourism development scheme, and various tourism infrastructure, public service facilities and tourist attractions will be planned as necessary for the needs of urban construction and functional orientation to accelerate its steps toward the goal.

“The second is to vigorously develop high-end international tourism. Beijing will fully exploit its advantages as the capital as well as the political and cultural hub of China, promote the high-end development of tourism, and strive to build itself into an international convention and exhibition capital and a high-end tourist destination,” she added. “In its efforts to develop and improve high-end tourism products, it will actively organize various events of global influence, strengthen strategic cooperation with the International Tourism Organization, seek in-depth development of high-end areas and high-end sources of tourists, and continuously step up the internationalization of Beijing tourism.”

She added, the third is to forcefully push forward the construction of major tourism projects. By investing in tourism projects, Beijing will be able to enrich its supply of tourism products, stimulate tourism spending, and bring about a qualitative leap forward in its industry of tourism. “By 2015, Beijing will have constructed a number of key tourism projects, tourism-generating destinations, and ecological leisure and holiday resorts. At the Beijing Tourism Projects Promotion Conference last morning, we launched 30 projects. In the days to come, we will launch more projects, and all the guests present here are welcome to invest in Beijing.”

In her speech, the Beijing Tourism Administration director stated that Beijing is to aggressively promote the development of industrial integration. “Beijing will endeavor to build itself into a destination of tourism and performances by integrating tourism and cultural industries; to turn itself into an international urban tourism and business destination by integrating tourism and business; and to cultivate itself into a new-type tourist hot spots by integrating tourism and industry, agriculture, sports, science and technology, education, and other sectors.”

And finally, the travel and tourism industry can expect for Beijing to comprehensively upgrade its tourism services. “Beijing will, in accordance with international tourism service standards, enhance its tourism public service system, speed up the construction of tourism ‘informatization,’ and further improve its tourism service quality to best meet the demands of tourists both at home and from abroad.”

Meanwhile, Beijing Mayor Guo Jinlong said: “WTTC’s global travel and tourism summit is a major event for the development of our tourism sector. Tourism is in fact moving fast to become a pillar of our economy as it now represents 7 percent of our local GDP. Since we are already the political and culture centre of China, we aim to provide the highest standards of service to turn Beijing into a green, world-class tourism destination.”

For his part, United Nations World Tourism Organization secretary general Taleb Rifai, who made his second appearance at a WTTC global summit, said, “China is without a doubt a world class destination.”

Citing China’s impressive numbers, the UNWTO head also said, ““We are looking at you China, in the eyes of the world, for leadership.”

Biodiversity is a key tourism asset and fundamental to its sustained growth. Intact and healthy ecosystems form the cornerstone of thousands of tourist enterprises and products worldwide, attracting hundreds of millions of tourists each year. As a leading economic activity, sustainable tourism has an important role and responsibility in managing and conserving biological natural resources. As a key source of income and employment, tourism often provides strong incentives to protect biodiversity. Sustainable tourism can furthermore generate significant revenues for conservation and community development and help to raise awareness of biodiversity issues.

The theme, “Tourism and Biodiversity,” is particularly pertinent in 2010. Concerned by the continued loss of biological diversity, the United Nations Assembly declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. The year coincides with the target adopted by governments in 2002, to achieve by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of biodiversity loss.

“Tourism and biodiversity are mutually dependent. UNWTO wishes to raise awareness and calls upon the tourism stakeholders and travelers themselves to contribute their part of the global responsibility to safeguard the intricate web of unique species and ecosystems that make up our planet,” said UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai.

Central WTD celebrations will take place in Guangdong Province, China. Alongside a series of cultural events organized by the Chinese government, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) will host the 2010 World Tourism Day Think Tank around this year’s theme. The Think Tank will bring together leading public and private tourism stakeholders, as well as biodiversity experts and members of the media, to highlight the close relationship between tourism and biodiversity, and identify how tourism can contribute to preserving life on Earth and its unique biodiversity.

INSPIRING STORIES

This year’s WTD wants to highlight how sustainable tourism initiatives can directly contribute to the conservation of biodiversity. With this purpose, UNWTO is inviting all stakeholders to share their “inspiring stories.” Alongside examples from UNWTO projects, tourism stakeholders can also upload their own stories onto the WTD website, thereby contributing to raising awareness of the importance of this year’s theme and promoting practical example of how to apply the principles of sustainable tourism development to biodiversity conservation.

A collection of the best inspiring stories will be made into a brochure and disseminated at WTD events later in the year.

WORLD TOURISM DAY PHOTO COMPETITION

As in previous years, UNWTO is holding a global online photo competition to raise awareness of the World Tourism Day theme. UNWTO invites all to participate with photos that capture the strong link between tourism and biodiversity showing how tourism not only depends on healthy ecosystems, but can also contribute to them.

The deadline for participation is August 31, 2010. Winners will be announced in early September.

First prize includes a round-trip to China (Guangdong Province), and the four runners-up will each be awarded a digital camera. The best photos will be displayed at a photo exhibition on WTD in China and featured in UNWTO News and on UNWTO.org.

World Tourism Day is a thematic event held every year on September 27. Its purpose is to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political, and economic value. The event seeks to address global challenges outlined in the UN Millennium Development Goals and to highlight the contribution the tourism industry can make in reaching these goals.

RELEVANT LINKS

World Tourism Day 2010 Website: www.unwto.org/worldtourismday/index.php?lang=E

World Tourism Day 2010 Message: www.unwto.org/worldtourismday/photocompetition/home_photo.php

World Tourism Day 2010 Photo Competition: www.unwto.org/worldtourismday/photocompetition/home_photo.php

“National Geographic Traveler is dedicated to protecting all the world’s distinctive places through sustainable tourism,” Maggie Liao, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic Traveler China, talks about the initiative, “in China we have tremendous challenges as well as opportunities. We advocate tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents.”

Based on internationally recognized standard and criteria, the Sustainable Travel Award consists of four categories: Destination Stewardship Award, Community Benefit Award, Natural Heritage Conservation Award and Cultural Heritage Conservation Award. The winners were selected from a shortlist of 15 applicants by the judging panel, which included Sustainable Travel International president Brian T. Mullis, who was one of nine judges and who participated in the ceremony.

“The response to the call for award applications exceeded all expectations,” explains Mr. Mullis. “There are numerous tourism initiatives in China focused on environmental conservation and cultural-heritage preservation, and National Geographic Traveler China is increasing awareness of them by giving them top billing in their popular and high profile Gold List Awards program and through their magazine.”

Award winners include:

• Destination Stewardship Award went to Wanglang National Conservation Area in Sichuan Province (www.wanglang.com). Since 1998 Wanglang has adopted some of the most advanced ecotourism management methodologies and is a leading example of sustainable tourism development at a destination level in China.

• Community Benefit Award went to Aba Prefecture Women Qiang’s Embroidery Assistance & Support Center (www.qiangxiu.org). After the earthquake in 2008 in Sichuan Province, this center started a series of projects to help the women and to protect Qiang Culture in Aba Prefecture, and it was been very successful.

• Natural Heritage Conservation Award went to Gaoligong Mountain National Conservation Area in Yunnan Province (www.glgs.gov.cn), which has adopted an aggressive management plan to protect biodiversity.

• Cultural Heritage Conservation Award went to Dunhuang Academy of China (www.dha.ac.cn), which is employing the use of a variety of sustainable tourism standards and methodologies to help protect cultural heritage.

Sustainable Travel Award Judges include:

• Keith Bellows, Editor-in-chief, National Geographic Travel

• Maggie Liao, Editor-in-chief, National Geographic Traveler China

• Brian Thomas Mullis, President, Sustainable Travel International

• Lv Zhi, Executive Director, Center for Nature and Society Peking University

• Li Bo, Director, Friends of Nature

• Zhang Guangrui, Director, Tourism Research Center of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

• Zhong Linsheng, Eco-tourism Expert, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Science

• Zou Tongqian, President, The School of Tourism Management Beijing International Studies University

• Xi Zhinong, Wild Animal Photographer, Wild China Film

About National Geographic Traveler China

As the most influential travel magazine in China, National Geographic Traveler China (www.ngtraveler.cn) combines the resources and experience of Trends Magazines and the National Geographic Society. National Geographic Traveler aspires to live up to its tagline: “Where the Journey Begins” and strives to be the ultimate guide for active, curious, and responsible travelers.

About Sustainable Travel International

Sustainable Travel International (www.sustainabletravelinternational.org) is a globally recognized non-profit organization whose mission is to promote sustainable development through responsible travel by providing programs that help travelers, businesses and destinations protect the environment, preserve cultural heritage and contribute to economic development.

The island will also become a base of agricultural production and a base for developing resources and services in the South China Sea, said the statement.

The government said it would maintain the healthy development of the island’s property sector and encourage developers to build premium hotels and resorts. It also supports family-run hotels and property-rental services.

Efforts should also go to the financial sector in the island by pushing forward the trial program of cross-border trade RMB settlement and backing qualified tourism firms to get listed in the stock market.

The plan also includes measures to promote modern tropical agriculture in Hainan, including tropical fruits, aquatic products and others, and expand its agricultural cooperation with Taiwan.

The government will further extend its favorable visa-free policy to five other nations including Finland, Denmark, Norway, Ukraine and Kazakhstan from the previous 21 nations including the United States, Japan and Canada.

The statement also said the government would boost the island’s development by expanding oil and gas exploration, offering more duty free services, improving transportation networks, developing logistics, reducing pollution, building more information networks and infrastructure.

The government plans to lift the value-added output of tourism in Hainan to more than 8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2015 and more than 12 percent by 2020, the statement said. Figure of how much value-added output of tourism accounted for in the province’s GDP in 2008 was not available.

Hainan’s preliminary GDP stood at 145.9 billion yuan (21.36 billion U.S. dollars) in 2008, up 9.8 percent year on year.

Source: xinhuanet.com/ETN