Zhaoqing held a tourism conference on March 27 to review the year of 2011. Huang Sanhe, vice director of the Standing Committee of the Zhaoqing Municipal People's Congress, Guan Peng, Zhaoqing's deputy mayor, and other officials participated.
Scenic areas in Zhaoqing city, Guangdong province, had welcomed about 24.04 million tourists in total last year, a year-on-year increase of 19.67 percent.
The city generated local income of 14.23 billion yuan ($2.26 billion), increasing 38.47 percent over last year. Zhaoqing ranks in third place among all tourism cities, according to the 2011 Best Tourist Cities in China.
Guan Peng said that tourism is Zhaoqing's pillar industry developing at a high speed.
He said the city would make more innovations in its tourism management and operation systems. By attracting more investments, the city hopes to improve its tourism competitiveness.
Edited by Tom McGregor
-by Chen Zhilin and Liu Yan ( chinadaily.com.cn )
