Shanghai will develop three tour packages for visitors who may want to see more of China when they come to the city for World Expo 2010, a local deputy to the National People's Congress said yesterday.
The packages will cover the Yangtze River Delta region and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, local NPC deputy Wang Zhan said yesterday in Beijing.
Although the finer details of each package have yet to be worked out, Wang said the first package will include trips to other cities in the Yangtze River Delta region. The second package will include all the scenic spots along the Grand Canal, the oldest and longest man-made canal in the country.
"The canal was the inspiration for many novels during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties," Wang said.
Wang also said they are considering developing three cruise ship routes departing from Shanghai. The northern route could include stops in Qingdao and Dalian cities, while the southern route could include the cities of Ningbo and Xiamen. A Yangtze River cruise would make stops in Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.
Yang Jing, an official with the Shanghai Tourism Administration, said both domestic and international travelers will want to see more than just Shanghai when they come for Expo 2010.
"Last year we started promoting several Expo tour packages within Shanghai, but we knew it was not enough," Yang said. "Expo visitors will want to see more in China."
More than 70 million visitors are expected in Shanghai for the Expo between May and October next year.