Pan Jianmin, deputy mayor of Guilin in charge of tourism industry said on November 28 that after the inspection of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Guilin, the four cities have become the first batch of the best tourist destinations China highly recommends to the world.

The four best tourist cities have their own special features. Beijing is a historical city as China's capital, enjoying an exclusive and an irreplaceable position. Shanghai is an international metropolis and financial center in the orient. Xi'an is a capital city in China's ancient times most well-known for its terracotta warriors and horses in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty while Guilin stands out for its landscape beauty and folklore with the Lijiang River as its representative, the only medium-sized city in the list.

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) began the inspection and study on China's key tourist cities from the year 2002 and mapped out with Chinese departments concerned a "Criterion of Best Tourist Cities" in the first half of this year. Strict requirements are set in the criterion on the tourist resources, humane and cultural resources and environmental protection in the key cities and also with higher standards set on their hosting capabilities and services for tourists.

According to Pan Jianmin, the "Guilin Proposal" which is to be approved by at the Seminar on Tourism Partnerships in Destination Development and Management on December 3, has been revised through discussions among experts as "Common Views of Guilin" in which it is to formulate a more scientific and more rational concepts in common as regards the best tourist destinations, the operation and regional cooperation.

(People's Daily December 1, 2003)