Chengdu - Rated Best Tourism City in China

Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan, was rated as the Best Tourism City in China (BTCC) by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

The BTCC project aims to develop the tourism capacities of Chinese cities by meeting a number of standards and guidelines and to set a benchmark for other cities to follow. There are only three cities rated as BTCCs in 2006. Besides Chengdu, the other two cities are Dalian, a coastal city in Northeast China and Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province. Chengdu is the only BTCC from central and western China.

With the nation’s rising standard of living, and as the Chinese government is making efforts to turn its economy to a more consumption driven one, tourism has become a fast growing industry. In 2006, Chengdu raked in RMB 34 billion from its tourism industry, 18.7% higher than in 2005. -- From CHENGDUONLINE, February 11, 2007.