The number of foreign visitors to China fell significantly in the first 10 months of the year, and the trend is set to continue next year, a senior tourism official said on Tuesday.

Speaking at an industry conference in Beijing, Shao Qiwei, head of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), said the number of foreign tourists staying overnight in China between January and October - a useful measure of inbound tourism - was down 1.9 percent on the same period of last year.

The trend was even more evident among the country's major foreign tourist markets, he said.

In the same 10-month period, the number of South Koreans visiting China fell 24 percent year on year, while Japanese tourist numbers were down 16 percent, he said.

In contrast, the domestic market remains strong, and the outbound sector achieved double-digit growth in the first 10 months, up 14 percent year on year, Shao said.

"Foreign visitor arrivals are sure to decline next year as a result of the global economic slowdown, so we must focus our efforts on stimulating domestic demand," he said.

Several cities have already announced plans to boost their spending on tourism, including Chongqing, which recently unveiled a 50 billion yuan ($7.3 billion) investment package, he said.

Zhang Huiguang, head of the Beijing municipal tourism bureau, said on Tuesday that officials will today present 83 projects, valued at 78 billion yuan, to potential investors.

Ding Xiangyang, deputy mayor of Beijing, said authorities want to increase the city's tourism revenue to 400 billion yuan a year by 2012, partly by promoting it as a premium destination for conventions and exhibitions.

"Although the government will not directly fund the projects, it will provide favorable policies to investors and enable the projects to start as soon as possible," she said.

Shao said additional funds were also required to improve facilities for tourists looking for more leisurely, long-stay holidays.

"Of the country's 20,000 scenic spots, less than 5 percent are suitable for leisure tours," he said.

Demand for this type of holiday is increasing rapidly, but many coastal cities have not made good use of their natural resources, he said.

The CNTA will also continue to promote the paid holiday system in China, in a bid to boost tourism, he said.

(China Daily December 3, 2008)