The first local tour group headed for Britain took off yesterday morning, and each traveler is entitled to up to 500,000 yuan (US$61,650) from their accident insurance if they suffer unexpected injuries during the trip, according to the British tourism board.

The 40 tourists were scheduled to arrive in London yesterday afternoon and stay until this evening. They will tour around the city from 8:30am to 3pm.

"Tour buses provided by the British travel companies will take them to-and-from all destinations in Britain. Therefore, they will have no chance to travel by public bus, taxi, or the tube," said Chen Suiqin, general manager of China International Travel Ltd, Shanghai Office. "We will also shorten the time for their free activities to ensure their safety."

Xu Jiguang, who is in his seventies and the oldest of the 40 tourists, said he isn't worried about his safety in Britain.

"For my wife and I, Britain is our tenth outbound destination. So we are both experienced 'professional' travelers," Xu said.

The first Chinese tour group to Britain, consisting of 40 members from Shanghai and another 40 from Beijing, will attend a cocktail party hosted by Prince Andrew, a welcoming ceremony presided over by the mayor of Liverpool, as well as several other formal social events.

As of last night, no local tourists had canceled their trips to Egypt following terrorist bombings at Charm al-Sheikh on Saturday, according to Qatar Airlines.

(Shanghai Daily July 25, 2005)