East China's Shandong Province received 500,000 tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) in the Jan. - Oct. period. The figure is about one-sixth of the total tourists from the ROK to China.

The ROK has become one of the top tourist resource countries for Shandong, which is located across the sea from the ROK, according to the provincial tourist bureau.

Shandong's tourist bureau has been organizing tourist promotion programs in the ROK to showcase tourist sights and holiday resorts like Mount Tai, the Confucius culture sights in Qufu and some scenic coastal cities.

The province has tailor-made tourist routes for ROK tourists who enjoy playing golf or spending weekends in China.

The province recorded 300,000 tourists from the ROK in 2002. The figure increased slightly in 2003 despite the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) that year.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2005)