The number of visitors to China's Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) rose 14.8 percent year-on-year to 5.01 million in the first half of this year, according to the latest official statistics.

The latest figure released by the Statistics and Census Services show that Hong Kong was the largest tourist source for the SAR, with 2.61 million visitors to Macao; the number of visitors from China's inland, Taiwan and Japan made up 27.2 percent, 14.6 percent and 1.5 percent, respectively, of the total in the six months.

Helena Maria Senna de Fernandes, deputy director of the Tourist Office of the SAR government, attributed the tourism growth to the sharp increase in the number of business travelers to Macao.

She told Xinhua that the number of tourists in group to Macao has actually dropped in the six-month period.

Macao will speed up the construction of more scenic spots in the second half of this year, such as a sightseeing tower, a fisherman's wharf, and an A-Ma cultural village, to make the city more attractive, she said.

It will give an impetus to Macao's tourism industry for Beijing and Macao to host the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2005 East Asian Games, respectively, the official said.

The Tourist Office plans to set up offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, as part of its efforts to draw more tourists from China's inland areas.

"Macao Welcomes You", a campaign to publicize Macao's tourism, will be held in August and September, she said.

(Xinhua 07/18/2001)