Some 150 local hotel general managers attended the opening ceremony Wednesday of a two-day workshop on the future development of China's hotel industry.

One of the sponsors is the Market Economy Institute under the State Council Development and Research Center.

Several local scholars gave lectures on a number of topics related to the development of the fledgling industry which merely came into being in the late 1970s along with the introduction of China's reform and opening drive.

China has achieved great progress in the field over the past two decades. So far, the country has about 4,000 star hotels with an asset totaling 543.5 billion yuan.

Local hotels are facing great opportunities and challenges on eve of China's entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).

(Xinhua 09/20/2001)