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| Wednesday, 13 October 2004 |
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Lanka, China tourism cooperation gratifying - Chinese envoy by Sarath Malalasekera Since Sri Lanka became a tourist destination for Chinese citizens last year, several thousands of Chinese tourists have come to Sri Lanka to enjoy the natural scenery of this beautiful country and also to experience with their minds and hearts the profound friendly sentiments of the Sri Lankan people towards the Chinese people, said Ambassador of the People's Republic of China Sun Guoxiang. The Chinese Ambassador told the 33rd annual general meeting of the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association recently at the Taj Airport Garden Hotel, Seeduwa that our two countries have all along been time-honoured friendly close neighbours with amicable contacts between our two peoples dating back to some 2,000 years. Bandula S. Ekanayake was inducted as the new president of the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association at the meeting. Geographically speaking, Sri Lanka is a small country, but in the minds of the Chinese people, Sri Lanka is a great country and friend in need. The Ambassador said that the annual general meeting coincides with the 55th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. On this auspicious occasion of double happiness, I would like to express my hearty congratulations and heartfelt gratitude to all the friends of the Ceylon Hotel School Graduates Association for this grand AGM and your unremitting efforts and selfless dedication in boosting our already excellent traditional China-Sri Lanka friendly relations and cooperation especially in the tourism sector. Up to today, the Chinese people still have a vivid memory of the famous Rice and Rubber Pact. In 1952, Sri Lanka and China signed the historic Rice and Rubber Pact by ignoring immense pressures and grave threats from certain countries. This significant Pact and the moving story behind it has played a key role to enable the Chinese people to break the Western powers' blockage and embargo against China and bears ample testimony to the profound friendly sentiment and heartfelt assistance of the Sri Lanka people towards the Chinese people. The excellent bilateral relations of our two countries are the selfless contributions and unremitting efforts of our Sri Lankan friends from all walks of life. "We feel deeply proud of the fact that China has been endowed with the company of such a nice and good friend like Sri Lanka who has all along shared weal and woe with China." "Wherever you go in China, whenever you mention the name of Bandaranaike in those old days and today each and every person will echo with a happy smile and speak about this beautiful name of Sri Lanka," the Chinese Ambassador said. "Just as the famous proverb goes that a good beginning is half done, China-Sri Lanka tourism cooperation has registered a gratifying start and I am highly convinced that tourism cooperation between China and Sri Lanka has a sound foundation and great potential to tap in the future. Our concerted efforts of the tourism sector of our two countries today will surely usher in a more splendid success story tomorrow," the Ambassador said. Tourism in China is a new industry, the Ambassador said and added actually modern tourism in China sprang up in the early 1950s. In 1954, the China International Travel Service was established with 14 branches in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and other major cities. In 1964, the State Tourism Administration of China was formally established. Since the initiation of the policies of reform and opening to the outside world in 1978, China's tourism has entered a stage of rapid development. In 1999, the number of tourists entering China reached 72.8 million of which 8.43 million were foreign tourists, 40 times the figure of 1978. Consequently, the foreign exchange income from this industry reached US $14.1 billion, 54 times that of 1978. Currently, China has become an important tourism destination in Asia and the fifth largest tourism country in the world. Domestic tourism is also growing vigorously. With the improvement of the Chinese people's living standards, Chinese citizens have an increasingly strong interest in travelling abroad. In recent years, Chinese citizens have travelled to South Asia including their travels to the beautiful and friendly Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Europe. Foreign travel agencies are now opening more and more offices in China to attract Chinese to travel abroad, the Ambassador said. |
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