When it comes to tourism, Zhuhai joins the elite

Only one city in Guangdong Province -- Zhuhai -- is among ten nationwide in China's first group of Demonstration Cities of Tourism & Leisure.

The announcement was made at the 3rd All-for-One Tourism Promotion Conference & Promotion for Shaanxi Province held in Xi'an on Aug 3.

Deputy Mayor Zhang Yisheng accepted the award presented by Li Jinzao, chairman of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), on behalf of Zhuhai City.

Others on the list are Hangzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, Xiamen, Wuhan, Yinchuan, Ningbo, Suzhou, and Wuxi.

All ten meet industry standards issued by the CNTA. These include prerequisites, overall environment, leisure space and products, infrastructure and services, promotional measures, and management systems concerning tourism and leisure facilities.

For example, demonstration cities must have at least 33 percent greenery coverage in built-up areas with reasonable urban green space distribution.

Zhuhai has improved in increasing tourism scale, crafting tourist products, enhancing city brand influence, and strengthening regional cooperation over the past few years, and is now attracting some 40 million travelers annually, said an official from the Culture, Sports & Tourism Bureau.

The city has a tourism system of nine branded components, including theme parks in Xiangzhou District, island holidaymaking in the Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone, rural ecotourism in Doumen District, sports leisure in Jinwan District, and Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Hengqin New Area.

China is constructing tourism and leisure model cities to facilitate urban tourism and leisure systems in the country. The Outline for National Tourism & Leisure (2013-20) is expected to improve concepts, consumption levels, and quality of leisure for urban tourists and residents, says a government official.

Deputy Mayor Zhang Yisheng, left, is presented the award [Photo courtesy gd.qq.com]