Statistics from the Zhejiang statistical bureau revealed that tourism grew rapidly last year.
A total of 71 billion yuan (8.6 billion US dollars) of revenue was achieved by the provincial tourism industry in 2002, up 19 percent over the previous year.
During the year, Zhejiang recorded 80.2 million visits by domestic tourists, which brought the province 63.3 billion yuan (7. 6 billion US dollars), up 16 and 18 percent respectively.
Meanwhile, the province hosted over two million visits by overseas tourists, which generated 926 million US dollars in foreign exchange, up 26 and 27 percent respectively.
The coastal province is famous for tourist attractions such as Qiandao Lake, West Lake and Leifeng Pagoda in the capital, Hangzhou.
(China Daily February 8, 2003)
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