China will take measures to attract more tourists from neighboring nations such as the Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia, and from southeast Asian nations, in order to increase the overall number of inbound tourists.

As the main source market of China's inbound tourists, neighboring nations make an important contribution to foreign tourism income and tourism development, according to Shao Qiwei, director of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

He made these remarks in Wuhan on Thursday at the annual tourism conference.

China will continue to improve the infrastructure of famous domestic scenic spots, in order to attract more Korean and Japanese tourists, who are the powerhouse of tourism growth.

In addition, the Chinese government will take advantage of increased air links between China and Russia, in order to attract more Russian tourists, who prefer visiting China on charter flights.

"China will seize the golden chance of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, which will definitely lead to a boom in inbound tourists," Shao added.

(Xinhua News Agency July 21, 2006)