Sichuan Tourism Bureau Estimates Tourism Loss To Exceed RMB50 Billion

Zhang Gu, director of Sichuan Tourism Bureau, said that direct economic losses in the tourism sector caused by the earthquake are estimated to exceed RMB50 billion.

As of May 18, the death toll of tourists due to earthquake was 59; the number of tourists in Sichuan who have been evacuated was a total of 7,543 including 2,264 overseas tourists. A total of 1,140 international tourists have returned to Chengdu or to their departure location.

But there were still 87 domestic tourists unaccounted for. All staff members of Sichuan's tourism organs are dedicated to the rescue work of locating tourists, rescue, and evacuating from disaster areas throughout the day and night.

As a result of the earthquake, scenic spots in the disaster areas have been damaged badly: these include the Dujiangyan Scenic Spot, and also some ancient buildings have collapsed including the Erwang Temple and the Qing Dynasty Torii of Libai's former residence. There are still no damage reports from the Jiuzhaigou Scenic Areas. According to local media, tourism revenue in Sichuan province totaled about RMB121.7 billion in 2007.