The world's largest dam now being built on the Yangtze River will not destroy the charm of the Three Gorges and no one needs to plan a "farewell tour" in a hurry, a tourism official said Monday.

"Rising water level will only add to the beauty of the section of the river, so there is no need to rush there as advocated by some travel agents," said Du Yunsheng, director of the tourism bureau of Hubei Province, where the dam is located.

Du, a deputy to the National People's Congress, is in Beijing to attend the NPC annual session, due to open Tuesday. He criticized some local tour agents who clamored that the charm of the Three Gorges will disappear once the dam starts to check the flow in November.

Tourism operators in the Three Gorges area made a big profit in 1997, when a cofferdam was completed there. Misled by the operators, tens of thousands of tourists flocked to "say good-bye " to the gorges.

When nothing of that kind happened, the local tourism industry plunged into a depression and did not rebound until the year 2000.

However, as construction of the dam enters a new phase, some travel agents are repeating their old tricks.

According to industry sources, reservations for the 30 or so luxury tourist boats for the Three Gorges tour till January 2003 have all been taken.

According to authoritative institutions responsible for planning the Three Gorges water conservation project, including the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee and Tsinghua University, the Three Gorges will keep their majestic charm when the dam is completed.

Moreover, both the dam and the huge reservoir will become new attractions in the area.

In addition, scenic spots currently hidden deep in the surrounding mountains will be made accessible by then, the official said.

Three Gorges Tour Regains Popularity

Tourism in the Three Gorges area, which has been down for three years, is bouncing back with the peak expected in 2001, according to a forum sponsored by the Hubei Provincial Tourism Bureau and the Three Gorges General Company, according to the latest Beijing Review.

Overseas reserves for the months of May, September and October have already reached 25,000 person/times, up 40 percent over last year , according to figures from Lihui Cruiser Corporation , a Sino-U.S. joint venture. Other companies involved in Three Gorges tourism also report a boom in orders. Group tours sponsored by travel agencies also are popular.

( People's Daily March 5, 2002)