The head of China’s tourism administration, Shao Qiwei, has issued a call for tourists to return to parts of Sichuan province that were hit by a deadly earthquake earlier this year.
At least 196 people died when the area around the city of Ya’an was rattled by a 7.0-magnitude quake on 20 April 2013. But following a recent visit to the region, Shao said the area was now ready to welcome visitors.
“Sichuan and Ya’an remain beautiful and safe as before,” said Shao, Director General of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA). “Lushan County and Baoxing County are being recovered and reconstructed, and Sichuan is expected to fully open and recover its tourism market. And I, on behalf of the National Tourism Administration of China, sincerely invite friends from all over the world to travel around Sichuan Province,” he added.
Home to giant panda breeding centres, the Jiuzhaigou Valley and the fabled area of Shangri-La, Sichuan is becoming an increasingly popular centre for Chinese tourism. But it has been hit by several devastating earthquakes in recent years. This year’s tremors followed the huge 8.0-magnitude quake in 2008, which left more than 69,000 people dead.
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