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Beijing has introduced 11 travel packages, especially for youths, as part of efforts to promote the city's tourism in Macao and other parts of the world.
A number of the capital's famous cultural tourism sites, including prestigious universities, the Palace Museum and the Great Wall, are included in the plan.
Young tourists from the Macao SAR and other parts of the world will be able to gain a deeper knowledge of Beijing's culture and history through the educational trips, a tourism promotion event in Macao was told.
The tourism programs will also help increase understanding between Beijing and Macao youths as the two sides will have more opportunities for making exchanges.
"Culture is the root and soul of tourism," said Cheng Hong, vice-mayor of Beijing. "Beijing's unique culture has fueled the development of its tourism."
Cheng was speaking at Beijing's tourism promotion event in Macao on Saturday. The gathering was part of the annual Global Tourism Economy Forum held in the special administrative region from Saturday to Sunday.
"The essence of tourism lies in cultural exchanges and integration. Tourism is also the best way to promote cultural exchanges and integration."
She hoped that more people from Macao and the world could get to know and experience Beijing's unique culture through tourism, pushing cultural exchanges to a higher level.
Alexis Tam Chon-weng, Macao's secretary for social affairs and culture, said Beijing has made outstanding achievements in cultural tourism. "Cooperation in the economic, trade, tourism and cultural fields between Macao and Beijing has been growing."
He said the forum provided a platform for both sides to further increase understanding and bring new business opportunities.
The youth tourism program is among a range of projects Beijing has launched in a bid to attract more tourists from Macao and other places. As the "Guest of Honor" city at this year's forum, it also introduced many other types of tourism products with local features.
For instance, Beijing is well known for traditional Chinese medicine treatment. Taking advantage of this, the city has introduced 13 travel routes for tourists to learn the traditional Chinese culture and get personal experience of the medical skill.
The capital also exhibited eight famous brands with a long history at its pavilion, including Neiliansheng cloth shoes, founded in 1853, and Wuyutai Tea, dating from 1887.
With a history of more than 3,000 years, Beijing offers rich tourism resources and is home to seven world cultural heritages. Last year, about 273 million people visited the city, generating total tourism revenue of 460.7 billion yuan ($68.5 billion), according to government statistics.
It's expected that the number of tourists to Beijing will rise to 320 million by 2020, generating revenue of more than 700 billion yuan.
sally@chinadailyhk.com
