CNTA proposed the goal at the 2006 China International Tourism Transaction Conference press briefing held on Wednesday.

In order to promote the sound development of tourism sector, Chinese government has formulated the Eleventh Five-Year Program for Tourism Industry (2006-2010). The program aims to make China a strong tourist nation in the world. In 1997, the World Tourism Organization made a forecast that China would become the most visited destination and the fourth largest source of outbound travel in the world by 2020.

Liu Kezhi, head of the Tourism Promotion and International Contact Department at CNTA, says that the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and the 2010 World Exposition in Shanghai will provide unprecedented opportunities for the development of Chinese tourism industry. In the two years to come, CNTA will develop more tourist products by focusing on the theme of the Olympic tours and display, from a wider range of fields and perspectives, the rich tourist resources and the colorful histories and cultures of China, through its sightseeing tours to the natural and cultural scenic spots, ethnic cultures tours, leisure activity tours, and special tours. CNTA tries to promote the Olympic Games through tourism and likewise, promote the country's tourism industry through Olympic Games. Meanwhile, CNTA will organize some large tourist events for the 2010 Shanghai Exposition. It is hoped that the country's tourism industry will reach a new high with the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai Expo.

The latest statistics publicized by CNTA show that during the first nine months of this year, the number of outbound travelers hit a new high to reach 25.61 million, growing by 11 percent as compared with last year. The rate of growth for China's outbound travel far exceeds the word's average level.

(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)