The debut of many tourism websites at the 11th Domestic Tourism Fair suggests that China's tourism industry is turning to the Internet to develop.

For China's tourism companies, whose capital scale is still small compared with their foreign counterparts, the Internet provides a "golden chance," said Chen Wenzhen, an employee of China Eastern Tourism Web.

Chen said the Internet has all the advantages of tourism pamphlets, multimedia display and online searching. The cost is quite cheap and use is not restricted by geographical factors, she said.

China currently has more than 5,000 tourism websites, more than 300 of which are specialized, such as the China Youth Travel Service website and the China International Travel Service website. China Comfort Travel has a special website for outbound tourists, providing information for visa applications, border control and customs inspection.

Experts say e-business in China has also gained a unique opportunity in tourism development and displayed its financing capability. China's top two online tourism service providers, E-long and Ctrip, are listed on Nasdaq.

In the past, travelers had to visit the offices of travel agencies or make phone calls to inquire about tourism routes and services. Now, however, they pnly have to go online to get a multitude of information. They can even reserve hotels, air tickets and park tickets. Travel agencies can more efficiently arrange guides and improve management.

"E-business in tourism has remarkably increased the overall efficiency of the industry," said Zhou Ying with Swan Travel Agency.

According to the World Tourism Organization, China is expected to become the world's largest tourism market, with more than 10 percent of its transit volume supported by the Internet.

Experts say that compared with other tourism nations, China's online tourism is still quite small, although its tourism industry is growing fast. Most observers believe there is huge potential for developing tourism websites.

Source: Xinhua