Expo to bring in 80b yuan tourism revenues

BEIJING - The Shanghai Expo will generate more than 80 billion yuan ($12 billion) in tourism revenues for Shanghai and neighbouring Yangtze River cities, according to initial estimates, the China Tourism Academy (CTA) said Tuesday.

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Expo-related tourism would lead to a 20-percent increase year on year in the aviation, foreign trade, wholesale and retail sectors, and accommodation and catering in Shanghai and neighbouring cities, said an unnamed CTA official, without naming the neighbouring cities.

The Shanghai Expo had met the goal of receiving 70 million visitors, including 3.5 million from overseas, Shao Qiwei, director of China's National Tourism Administration (NTA), said Tuesday.

As of Monday, total attendance at the 184-day fair stood at 70.77million, breaking the record held by 1970 Osaka World Expo in Japan, which attracted 64 million visitors, data from the Expo Bureau showed.

The success of the Shanghai Expo would be a major contributor to the nation's tourism growth this year, and it would boost industrialization, marketization, urbanization, and internationalization in Shanghai and cities along the Yangtze River, said Shao.

The biennial Expo opened on May 1 for a six-month run under the theme of "Better City, Better Life," with some 190 countries and 50 international organizations participating.