Beijing will seize the opportunities arising from the success of its Olympic bid and vigorously expand tourism in order to realize good results.

Yu Changjiang, head of Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau, said his establishment would make greater efforts to enlarge the tourism market at home and abroad, explore resources and improve the quality of workers in the industry.

The concept of the Beijing Olympic Games, which features "greenness, popularity and high-tech orientation" also reflects the theme for developing tourism in the Chinese capital, said the official.

With huge investment in infrastructure in the years to come, Beijing will have an overall improvement in catering services, accommodation, transport, sightseeing, shopping, entertainment and the environment, which are the seven main tenets of the tourism industry and are also the basic conditions for the Olympic Games in 2008.

He added his organization would co-operate with relevant government departments in carrying out a range of activities, including the introduction of a rating system among restaurants, four-A standards among scenic sites, as well as a contest for tourist guides on TV.

(Xinhua News Agency 08/06/2001)