Overseas visitors to China are expected to reach 83 million in 2000, bringing an income of US$16 billion in foreign exchange, according to a national meeting on tourism market opened Saturday in Kunming.

Travelers from Japan, the United States and Germany, three leading tourist sources to China saw tow-digital growth to reach respectively 2.2 million, 900,000 and 250,000.

He Guangwei, director of the National Tourism Administration, attributed the increase to the stable political situation and sustainable economic growth in the world on one hand, and China's economic growth and the efficiency of promotional campaigns.

Increases were also reported in the number of tourists from the Republic of Korea, Russia, southeast Asian countries and Australia last year.

According to Saturday's meeting, this year, China will continue its efforts to explore tourists sources from Japan, the United States and Germany.

(People’s Daily 01/13/2001)