Yang Chongyong, the vice governor of Hebei province, disclosed at a tourism teleconference that Hebei will invest 10 billion yuan (US$1.47 billion) this year on tourism and try to enhance outlook for the province's tourism over the next three to five years.

As an important part of the leisure tourism of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei metropolitan circle, Hebei aims to attract 110 million tourists in 2009: achieving 12% increase in tourism revenue and creating about 30,000 jobs.

To achieve this goal, Hebei province will launch a series of cultural tourism items this year in addition to developing such leisure products as coast and island tours, hot spring tours, and snow tours. In addition, the province will also initiate a national leisure plan to promote tourism among its own residents.

It is understood that the one of the important tasks of the tourism department of Hebei province in 2009 is to: organize and mobilize enterprises to learn about the province's tourism, to have inspections of tourism resources, and to participate in tourism department.

The Plan on the Development of Leisure Tourism in the Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei Metropolitan Circle states that Hebei features unique tourism resources in its: coast, summer resorts; grasslands; hot springs; winter sports; autonomy; and wildlife, which make it possible for it to develop its tourism in a different way with that of Beijing and Tianjin and maintain its unique competitiveness.

(China Hospitality News March 24, 2009)