The southwestern province authorities pledged they would make every effort to ensure the safety and health of all visitors, and maintain an orderly and well-run tourism service sector.

To prevent the introduction of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) to the province, the local government has injected a large amount of money in the establishment of a prevention and treatment network against SARS, according to Zhang Likun, vice-director of Yunnan Tourism Administration.

He said a total of 88 tourism activities, which were launched yesterday in 17 prefectures and cities around the province, would excite thousands of visitors from other provinces, as well as a host of foreign tourists from more than 20 countries around the world, such as the United States, Britain and Japan.

However, he said the number of overseas visitors to Yunnan has dropped since March due to concerns over the on-going Iraq War and SARS.

Boasting a unique landscape and diverse make-up of ethnic cultures, the tourism industry in Yunnan has grown rapidly in recent years.

The province hosted more than 50 million Chinese and foreign tourists last year, with a total revenue of 28.9 billion yuan (US$3.5 billion). Among them, overseas tourists recorded 1.3 million.

(China Daily April 11, 2003)