More than 300 tourists formed the first traveling group, titled "Sunshine Action--Traveling in Guangzhou". They visited Guangzhou Oceanarium, Xiangjiang Wild Animals Park, Changlong Evening Animal World and other tourist spots.

A total of 600 tourists will travel around Guangzhou on Saturday.

Nearly 60 local travel agencies also attended Saturday's activities, distributing booklets with information on safe traveling and SARS prevention to citizens and tourists, and conducting travel related consultations.

Guangdong was the first Chinese province hit by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a travel advisory against the province on April 2, which was lifted on April 23.

Due to the outbreak of SARS and the travel advisory, nearly all the city's travel agencies stopped business by the end of April.

Tourism sources said that the city would begin allowing travel to Hong Kong and Macao starting from June 1.

A local travel service, named "Travel in Guangdong", will receive the first tourist delegation from Hong Kong and Macao on June 6.

More than 6,000 tourists have so far applied to the travel service to attend a one-day trip in Guangzhou and to travel around the province.

(CRI News June 1, 2003)