Shanghai Fair Boosts Tourism

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 ◆ Shanghai Fair Boosts Tourism

For Deborah Reinow, vice-president of tourism for the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau, the second China International Travel Mart will provide a good chance to showcase the landscape of her city. "I hope the United States could also become a destination for Chinese tourists," said Reinow. Reinow is one of 1,200 international travel wholesalers and agents expected to attend the travel mart in Shanghai, beginning Wednesday and ending on October 22. The fair promotes tourism in China and the world, with Shanghai being the biggest beneficiary. The city is poised to rocket into the new century as an international tourist destination and a favorite city for conventions. "The fair is being held just before China's entry into the World Trade Organization, so it is the opportunity China bestows on Shanghai to push the city to the world," said Dao Shuming, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Committee. Jointly organized by the China National Tourism Administration, Shanghai municipal government and the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the travel fair gathers representatives of the world's top travel and convention organizations, 22 tourism ministers across the world, 1,200 international and over 5,000 domestic attendants from the government, tourism, aviation, convention, media and cultural sectors. "The Chinese Government attaches great importance to the fair," said Sun Gang, deputy director of the China National Tourism Administration at a press conference Tuesday. The first travel fair was held two years ago in Shanghai. As of 2001, the fair will be held annually by Kunming and Shanghai to develop both the western and eastern parts of the country, Sun disclosed. Currently, China is the sixth largest market in the world for in-bound travelers and its foreign exchange income from the travel industry ranks seventh in the world. The World Travel Organization estimates that China will be the world's most attractive destination and the fourth largest market of out-bound travelers by 2020.