China's tourism sector is showing a healthy surge in profits, according to new figures published Saturday, but a new outbreak of Sars in Beijing was scaring away visitors to the capital.
The number of people travelling to Beijing during the traditionally busy May holiday week fell by 32 percent compared with 2002 figures, with a 40 percent drop in takings, said city officials quoted by Xinhua news agency.
But the number of people who visited 99 other top tourist spots exceeded 14 million, a marked increase compared with 2002, according to the People's Daily newspaper.
The eastern metropolis of Shanghai saw a record number of 3.62 million Chinese tourists during the week, while the northern city if Tianjin saw travel receipts rise 23 percent, the paper said.