According to the officials, Hangzhou's peak tourist season usually begins during the last 10 days of April. This year, however, tourists are having to reserve rooms for weekend stays inthe city's downtown star-class hotels, and occupancy rates are topping 90 percent.

Statistics from the Hangzhou Municipal Tourism committee show that the arrivals of overseas tourists in the city amounted to 155,000 in January and February, a rise of 27 percent over the figure for 2002. The hotels' occupancy rate reached 66 percent, up 8.64 percent year-on-year.

Local tourism and service businesses are preparing for the bustling week-long peak holiday season following May 1, the International Labor Day.

Zhejiang province abounds in tourist attractions, among them, the picturesque West Lake in its capital, widely known both in China and overseas for its limpid water and elegant landscape.

(Xinhua News Agency April 5, 2003)