Administrators of a group of famous scenic spots in China pledged to guarantee sincere and honest service to tourists on the eve of the week-long National Day holiday period beginning Oct 1.

In a joint announcement issued here Monday, the administrative committees of 50 tourist sites, all designated national models of high-quality tourist service, vowed to further improve their service and safeguard the rights and interests of tourists.

"Business operation should be sincere, honest and law-biding," says the announcement, which derides the sales of fake and shoddy goods and cheating of tourists.

"All products will be sold with ratified price tags, and driving up of prices for profiteering is strictly forbidden," it notes.

Other commitments include to maintain a clean environment, provide considerate service, offer qualified guides, enforce security measures and exercise strict and standardized management.

The life and property safety of tourists will be guaranteed and their complaints will be handled earnestly and timely, says the announcement.

The 50 tourist spots include world-renowned attractions like the Summer Palace in Beijing, Mount Huangshan in Anhui Province, Lijiang River in Guilin of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the ancient city of Lijiang in Yunnan Province.

The National Day holiday, together with the International Labor Day holiday and the Spring Festival period, are regarded as the three "golden weeks" for tourism in China, providing a good opportunity for the general public to travel.

Experts here pointed out that the public's zest for travel during the October "golden week" will surpass the last one in May, when the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak forced people to stay at home.

They predicted that the coming tourist boom will help accelerate the recovery of the national tourist industry, which was hit hard by the epidemic.

China launched a campaign to reinvigorate its tourist industry after the World Health Organization's lifting of its travel warning against Beijing on June 24.

The city was the last place in the world under a WHO advisory urging travelers to avoid nonessential travel out of concerns over SARS.

However, Director He Guangwei of the National Tourism Administration, warned recently that SARS will have deep repercussions for China's tourist industry, which is predicted to endure US$8.8 billion of loss in foreign exchange, and another US$24.5 billion lost in the domestic tourist market for the year.

"The entire tourist industry is expected to witness its first negative impact since 1989 and the overall recovery will not be achieved until 2005," said He.
 
(Xinhua News Agency September 30, 2003)