The number of overseas tourists to China and tourist foreign exchange revenue in 2004 were 60 times and 100 times of the figures in 1978 when China's reform and opening-up began, Wang Jun, vice-president of China Tourism Association, said Tuesday.

He made the statement at the International Conference on the New Asia-Europe Continent Bridge. The conference opened in Xuzhou, a city in east China's Jiangsu Province, on Tuesday.

The country received 41.76 million overseas tourists in 2004, ranking the fourth in the world, and raked in 25.7 billion US dollars of tourist foreign exchange revenue, ranking the seventh globally.

The country reported 1.1 billion domestic tourists in 2004, ranking the first among the Asian countries in terms of tourist resources.

China is turning from a leading tourist destination to a leading tourist resources country, Wang said.

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) predicted China would become the top tourist destination and the fourth leading country with abundant tourist resources in 2020, Wang said.

The areas along the New Asia-Europe Continent Bridge abound in promising tourist resources, Wang said.

The New Asia-Europe Continent Bridge starts from the coastal cities in east China and ends at some ports in some European countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium. It stretches for 10,900 km, including 4,313 km in China. It is also dubbed the New Silk Road, as it almost parallels the ancient Silk Road.

(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2005)