City plans entertainment industry tie-in as part of 5b-yuan program

Want to race your friends in sports cars along the ancient streets of Beijing? How about fighting off zombies in Gulou? Or maybe you would prefer to play in the World Cup final at the Bird's Nest?

It might not be long before you can do all three in one day. If tourism officials get their wish, the global video game market could soon see a deluge of new releases featuring the city's many splendid vistas.

The government announced that it is looking for entertainment industry partners to produce games that promote the Chinese capital as part of its ambitious new tourism development plan.

Authorities intend to spend 1 billion yuan every year on "special tourist zones and projects" for the next five years to boost visitor numbers.

One of the first tasks will be a 10-million-yuan program to upgrade the toilet facilities at tourist centers and 50 popular scenic spots, while officials also plan to trial new shuttle bus routes and speed up the transformation of former industrial areas, such as the disused Shougang steel works and the Mentougou mines.

"We will strengthen information systems by constructing 300 new centers, and the development of websites and cell phone newsletters," said Lu Yong, head of the city's newly established Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development.

Lu's office is made up of staff from the former tourism administration, as well as leaders from departments dealing with parks and gardens, transport, commerce and cultural relics. It has been established to speed up development of the city's tourism industry.

Beijing is only the second Chinese city to set up such a commission, with the island province of Hainan being the first.

Global research shows that both inbound and outbound tourism flourishes in a city when GDP per capita hits $3,000. Beijing's GDP per capita has already surpassed $10,000, according to official figures.

The industry is vibrant and already plays a major part in the capital's economy, said Lu, a former deputy secretary-general of Beijing municipal government. He explained that boosting the sector would help more than 100 other sectors and trigger the development of overall GDP.

By 2015, he said, the city aims to receive 10 million overseas visitors and 200 million domestic visitors a year, with the tourism industry contributing 10 percent of overall GDP.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), the commission will also optimize the policies of entry visas, transit visas and tax refunds, he added.