The Chinese national capital of Beijing had a record number of 1.98 million tourist arrivals during the Spring Festival holiday season this year, up 5 percent from a year ago.

Information from the municipal bureau of statistics said the number was the highest of the past four years.

The city raked in 1.66 billion yuan (about US$200 million) in tourism revenue during the seven-day holiday that ended on Jan. 28. And tourists spent an average of 838 yuan per person, putting Beijing in the first place among the three cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, said the sources.

A local tourism official hoped that the fine start would usher in a harvest for this year's tourism industry which has a theme of "ordinary life and tours".

(Xinhua News Agency February 24, 2004)