Tianjin Identified 2009 as the Year for "Tourism Promotion Year”the and of to Tianjin Festival Tourism tourism other

Reporter learned from the Tianjin Tourism Bureau that, this year, Tianjin would put forth efforts to focus on holding the first Festival of China's Tourism Industry, and would air through the organization of sales exhibition of tourism products, tourism souvenir, tourism destination marketing, tourism investment, tourism human resource exchanges and other activities to create an international tourist destination and distribution center. She Qingwen, the director of the Tianjin Tourism Bureau, said yesterday that, this year the number of overseas tourists received would strive to reach 1.41 million and the tourism foreign exchange earnings would reach 1.1 billion US dollars, with an increases of 16% and 18% respectively over the same period of last year.

It is reported that the year 2009 has been identified as %26ldquo;Tianjin Tourism Promotion Year%26rdquo;. The city will host the %26quot;First Festival of China's Tourism Industry%26quot; and take this as the main line, to organize special planes, special trains to carry out large-scale promotion activities abroad, directing towards the source markets in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, Northeast Asia, Europe, the United States and other major source markets to enhance the overseas awareness and influence of Tianjin. Tianjin will make use of national holidays like the New Year's Day, Spring Festival, the Labor Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, National Day and other holidays, to adapt to the seasonal changes, based on ski, spa, golf and other resources with characteristics, organize Welcoming Spring, Ta-Qing, Enjoying Moon, skiing and other series of tourism activities. It will make a good organization for a series of events, such as Tianjin Spring Festival Temple Fair, Yangliuqing Folk Culture and Tourism Festival, Tanggu Sea Tourism Festival, Huangyaguan International Marathon Invitational tournament, the Haihe River Tourism Festival and International Dragon Boat Invitational of College Students, Yuyang Autumn Tourism Festival, Five-Road International Tourism Festival and the Hangu Grape Culture and Tourism Festival. In addition, Tianjin signed an agreement on tourism cooperation with Beijing, in attempt to make full use of the Beijing market source advantages, develop high-end cruise market through cooperation, to make it possible for Beijing visitors to stay in Tianjin overnight, so that commercial travelers of Beijing will count Tianjin into the tourism marketing program. Furthermore, Tianjin plans to establish regional cooperation mechanisms in the four major source markets including Beijing %26amp; Tianjin, Bohai Coastal area, Hong Kong, Macao %26amp; Taiwan, and Northeast Asia, respectively signed market interaction, marketing promotion, information sharing and other cooperation agreements. The city will enhance the development of the tourist market in Hong Kong, Macao %26amp; Taiwan to promote the healthy development of direct charter flights between Tianjin and Taiwan, Tianjin and Macao. (Source: Enorth)