China licenses 528 travel agencies for foreign tours :CNTA

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 ◆ China licenses 528 travel agencies for foreign tours :CNTA

China has licensed 528 travel agencies to provide exclusive services for Chinese citizens traveling overseas.

A spokesman for the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) said on July 19 that the administration also canceled the special rights of the travel firms it authorized in 1997 to provide services for Chinese citizens on overseas tours.

The moves were designed to implement the central government's policies to regulate Chinese citizens' overseas tourism, and help the country's tourism industry develop a national service network for more overseas tours.

The number of Chinese citizens traveling abroad has increased rapidly in recent years as income and purchasing power soared dramatically over the past two decades.

A total of 12.12 million Chinese citizens traveled abroad in 2001, compared with 5.32 million in 1997.