China is now making utmost efforts in building itself into a strong tourism country at an early date and sparing no effort to study and implement the 11th Five-Year Plan for Development, according to Liu Kezhi, a senior official of China National Tourism Administration.

Liu said, owing to the favorable growth momentum and tremendous potential of China's tourism market, the World Tourism Organization forecast as early as 1997 that China would turn out to be No. 1 tourist destination and the No. 4 tourist-generating country in the world by the year 2020. The great objectives of the development of the tourism industry have also been outlined by the Chinese government.

He said the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 offer China's tourism industry a golden opportunity of development.

In 2005, the China National Tourism Administration will continue to put on large-scale activities to feature "Olympic Games and Tourism" so as to promote tourism through Olympic Games and promote Olympic Games through tourism.

In the next few years, with the three important concepts of "Green Olympics, Cultural Olympics and High-tech Olympics" in mind, China will further consolidate its tourism resources and develop new tourist products to present to the world the diversified and colorful tourist resources and the magnificent culture.

At the same time, China will launch a promotion campaign on the Shanghai World Expo 2010 while promoting "Olympic Games and Tourism."

(Xinhua News Agency November 24, 2005)