Travelers From China in Demand

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 ◆ Travelers From China in Demand

Tourism promoters are visiting China in record numbers in an effort to tap the traveling market in the most-populous and rapidly developing nation in the world, agency reported. "The battle has already begun for the world to attract Chinese tourists," Francesco Frangialli, secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization, said during a March visit. The main reason: In 2000, the country's Gross Domestic Product surpassed US$1,000 billion for the first time, with individual bank deposit savings equaling US$846 billion. Experts pointed out that the government also has adopted a more liberal attitude encouraging its citizens to travel abroad. And the China National Tourism Administration has signed agreements with 15 countries and regions, allowing Chinese people to travel there. Included are Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Discussions with Euro-pean and other American countries are still in the pipeline. Switzerland is just one of the countries seeking visitors from China. "As China develops its economy and strengthens cooperation with Europe, we believe Switzerland will become a favorite tourist destination of Chinese people," said Zhang Wenjia, chief representative in China for Switzerland Tourism. Jorg Wuttke, chairman of German Chamber of Commerce, has devoted himself to Sino-German economic cooperation. He said that it is a long-term strategy for all countries to seek Chinese tourists. "We are working all out for a tourism agreement as soon as possible in order to ensure the legal rights of tourists and to seek cooperation between tourist agencies after China's entry into the WTO," said Xu Shengli, a representative in China for the German National Tourism Office. The Canadian Tourism Commission set up an office in Beijing in early April. Richard Liu, commission director, said that the friendship between the two countries is long-standing. Last year, more than 70,000 Chinese people visited Canada for business, while 23,000 Canadians traveled to China. "Australia has become a popular destination for Chinese holiday-makers since 1999," said Dengli Baoyin, chief representative of the Australian Tourist Commission.