Shenzhen's tourism chief says he wants better communication with tourism authorities in Hong Kong to avoid duplicating investment and projects.
Chi Xiongbiao, head of the Shenzhen Tourism Administration, said the two cities needed to work together to fully tap overseas markets.
Shenzhen, which has grown from a small fishing village 20 years ago into a modern metropolis, is one of the most popular holiday destinations on the mainland.
Mr Chi said the city's tourism receipts in 2002 totalled 36 billion yuan, comprising about 6 per cent of the country's total tourism revenue. The figure fell to 30 billion yuan last year because of Sars.
'In the Lunar New Year week this year, we received four million visitors. Shenzhen doesn't have the Great Wall or the Terracotta Warriors ... but we are a special economic zone and are close to Hong Kong. Shenzhen is like Hong Kong's antechamber for other mainland tourists,' he said.
To attract more visitors, Shenzhen plans to build several recreational parks in the coming year, said Mr Chi. Hong Kong and Shenzhen should co-ordinate the development of tourism projects to avoid wasting resources.
