Nuraisim Widjaja Kusuma, a 50-year-old Indonesian, yesterday
became the 100 millionth tourist to enter the country through south
China's Guangdong Province this year.
Nuraisim was greeted with a wreath as she passed through the
customs exit at Guangzhou New Baiyun International Airport. "I am
very excited to be here. Guangzhou is such a beautiful city,
attracting millions of international tourists," she said.
Accompanied by her husband, Donny Ng, Nuraisim said she would
travel to Guilin in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after a
two-day stay in Guangdong.
The province, one of south China's economic powerhouses, has
also become a hot destination for international tourists in recent
years.
As of yesterday, more than 100 million had passed through the
province this year, sources with the Guangdong Provincial Tourism
Administration said.
"With over 100 million international tourists passing through
this year, Guangdong has become the province with the largest
number of inbound tourists in China," said Zheng Tongyang, director
of the provincial tourism authority.
Guangdong welcomes 80 percent of the international tourists
visiting China, Zheng added.
The province's tourism industry has generated some 200 billion
yuan (US$25 billion) in revenue this year, up 9.7 percent over the
previous year, according to Zheng.
It is expected that inbound tourism revenue will reach US$7
billion this year, up 9 percent over last year.
"Many of the overseas Chinese who have spread out over the world
originated in Guangdong, which helps attract thousands of them back
either to visit relatives or scenic spots in the province," Zheng
told China Daily yesterday.
Guangdong is the home province of roughly 20 million overseas
Chinese, who mainly live in Southeast Asian countries, Zheng
added.
Annual international events, like the Canton Fair in Guangzhou
and the China High-Tech Fair Shenzhen, have also contributed to the
province's inbound tourism sector.
(China Daily December 27, 2006)