The First China International Hotel Forum was opened Monday on China's southernmost island province of Hainan, which is a tropical tourist magnet.

The 4-day forum has the theme "New Century, New China, New Hotel."

Sponsored by the China Tourist Hotel Association and the China Cultural Development Foundation, the forum has drawn some 400 government officials, hotel managers and representatives from universities and the media.

Wang Xiaofeng, governor of Hainan and M. Torriani, chairman of the board of the Swiss Lausanne Hotel Administration Institute, are attending the forum.

Zhang Kuangrui, director of the Tourist Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, delivered a speech on Economic Globalization and the Development of the Hotel Industry today.

The expert pointed out that while it is continuing to improve standardized services and form conglomerates, the hotel industry in China should feature the strengths of China's traditional culture and nurture stylish hotels.

With China's accession into the World Trade Organization, the industry will face severe competition from powerful foreign rivals. National hotel-chain groups should be urgently established, Zhang said.

The expert called for the tourism, transportation, catering, entertainment and related commercial sectors to join forces with the hotel industry to yield more business opportunities for creating large hotel-chain conglomerates.

(People's Daily 10/30/2001)