Overseas travelers to China during the Ninth Five-Year Plan period is steadily growing, and will surpass the plan target, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).
More than 78 million overseas tourists will visit China in 2000, 42 percent more than the Ninth Five-Year target, with a 11 percent increase annually, according to CNTA's latest prediction. Night-spenders of overseas tourists will reach 29 million, among which 9.5 million are foreigners. Foreign currency received will total US$15.5 billion, 11 percent over the Five-Year Plan target.
China earned US$14.1 billion in foreign currency from 78 million overseas tourists by the end of 1999. This has set a solid foundation for China to become a superpower in Asian tourism.
Officials pointed out that the number of overseas tourists once dropped due to the impact of Asian financial crisis, but have recovered since last year.
(People’s Daily 11/13/2000)
