Tianjin, the largest port city in northern China, pledged to further develop tourism in the upcoming five years to make it a new pillar industry.
The added value of the tourist industry is to make up 5 percent of the city's gross domestic product by 2005, said Li Shenglin, mayor of Tianjin.
According to a five-year development blueprint, the overseas tourists coming to Tianjin will exceed 600,000 by 2005, bringing in US$420 million in foreign tourism receipts, representing an annual growth rate of 12 percent and 13 percent respectively.
The number of domestic visitors are expected to reach 47 million and the tourism income gained from the sector will be 57 billion yuan.
Tianjin has 50 scenic spots and sites of historical interest. It was rated an "outstanding tourist city" by the National Tourism Administration in 1999.
(People’s Daily 01/23/2001)
