South China city gears up for satellite tourism

HAIKOU -- South China's Wenchang City in Hainan Province is preparing to welcome rocket-watching tourists to the country's fourth space launch center.

The city has completed about 70 percent of tourism preparation work for the Wenchang satellite center's first launch, scheduled for June, including improving the transportation network, and building more parking lots and public toilets, according to a conference on Tuesday.

China currently has three other satellite launch centers in Jiuquan, Xichang and Taiyuan, all with different functions.

Fu Yongfeng, deputy Party Secretary of Wenchang City, said the city has been gearing up to serve and ensure the safety of tourists who come for the center's first launch.

An information center for tourists will also open ahead of Wenchang's first launch, and more job opportunities will be created for locals, according to Fu.

In 2015, Wenchang received about 1.7 million domestic and overseas tourists, which generated about 1.2 billion yuan in revenue (about $185 million).