Tourism chief counts the cost

Guangdong lost an estimated Yn5OOmln in tourism revenue from Macau and Hong Kong between January
and May this year. Tourism chief Zheng Tongyang said travel agencies in the province lost
Yn I .8bn in April, while hotels lost Ynl.8bn and beauty spots and theme parks lost
Yn2bn.
Overseas tourist numbers in Beijing are likely to fall 44 per cent in 2003
compared with the 3.lm who visited last year, said Yu Changjiang, director of the Beijing
Tourism Bureau. The bureau will target Japan and South Korea first in its bid to restore
confi-dence in its main foreign tourist markets.-