Shenzhen vows to become hot tourism spot

This coastal city in South China's Guangdong Province is set to capitalize on its proximity to Hong Kong in a bid to become a global tourist city.

Li Xiaogan, an official from Shenzhen municipal tourism department, made the remarks at an international tourism conference in Shenzhen in late October.

An important part of the Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival, which kicked off yesterday, the International Conference on Building International Tourist Cities under Globalization was held on October 25-27, focusing on building international tourist cities and other issues related to development of international co-operation in the tourism industry.

To build it into an international tourist city, Li said that Shenzhen would promote its image as a young metropolis and seaside resort, plan international-level events, and enhance co-operation with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

"Neighbouring Hong Kong, Shenzhen is the only mainland city with a large airport, seaports and border crossings," Li said.

According to Li, about 150 million people, accounting for more than half of all those who entered and exited the Chinese mainland, travelled via Shenzhen last year.

Shenzhen airport is the country's fourth largest with 148 domestic and 11 international routes, receiving more than 10 million travellers annually.

The city is a popular tourist destination on the mainland, Li said, receiving nearly 58 million tourists last year. Of these, more than 21 million, including 6 million from overseas, stayed overnight. Foreign tourists spent US$2 billion in the city last year, accounting for 10 per cent of the national total.

"With around 10 million foreigners touring Hong Kong each year," Li said, "We expect more to cross the border to visit Shenzhen."

Shenzhen boasts Dapeng Peninsula and more than 20 beautiful beaches.

In addition, with an average temperature of 22 degrees celsius, outdoor activities can be enjoyed for more than 300 days a year.

Although it lacks a long history or great mountains, Shenzhen has more than 50 scenic spots, including suburban parks, theme parks, as well as attractive restaurants and hotels.

According to Li, the International Federation of PGA Tours has picked the Mission Hills Golf Club in Shenzhen to host the Golf World Cup for the next 12 years from 2007.

"The recognition will also help promote Shenzhen as an international tourist destination," Li said.

"But we can see our disadvantages clearly," he said.

There are not many international tourists in the city, compared with Hong Kong or Tokyo. Shenzhen's tourism income last year was only one-fifth of that of Hong Kong and Tokyo, one-eighth of that of Paris and one-12th of that of New York.

To build Shenzhen into a real international tourism city, Li said, his bureau will promote high-end products like golf tours and luxury cruises and build more top-rated facilities.

He added that the city would also open more international flights in the years to come.

The tourism chief referred to Rio de Janeiro's revelries to highlight the importance of creating unique international festivals in attracting foreign tourists.

Li said the city would build more high-rated hotels to meet accommodation demands for domestic and international tourists.

At present, Shenzhen has a total of 12 five-star hotels. And it is expected that the number of five-star hotels will reach 32 by 2010.

"We also need to capitalize on our vicinity to Hong Kong. The first step in going global is to enhance co-operation with Hong Kong and introduce their talented people and experiences to upgrade our services," he said.

According to Li, a special report on standards of international tourist cities has been drawn up in Shenzhen, helping better guide the city to achieve its goal.

Shenzhen Daily contributed to the story

Source: China Daily