The Western Australia government has launched a campaign aimed at increasing the number of Chinese tourists to the state.

Lieutenant General John Sanderson, the WA governor, yesterday encouraged people from Shanghai to visit the state for a unique tourism experience.

The government campaign promotes WA's superb landscapes and unique wildlife.

Richard Muirhead, chief executive officer, Tourism Western Australia said while China was an important tourism market to Australia, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to WA was only a small portion of the overall numbers.

"By traveling to WA, tourists will have a chance to experience the real Australia," said Muirhead.

Western Australia boasts more than 5,200 types of plants and many unique wild animals.

"You'll be able to play with the lovely dolphins," the chief executive officer said.

Clean air and wide open spaces are WA's biggest draw card.

Frankie Gao, industry servicing manager of Tourism Australia, China Office, said: "I remembered those good old days in my childhood when I looked up to the sky in WA."

"There were extremely clear moons and stars shining at night, totally different from those that appear in other places such as Sydney and Melbourne," he added.

Currently, there is no direct air service between Shanghai and Perth, the capital city.

(Shanghai Daily July 3, 2004)