The 2003 Shanghai Tourism Festival will be held from September 13 through October 6, organizers announced yesterday.

Along with noted traditional activities such as the parade of floats, the Rose Wedding Ceremony and the Shanghai International Music Fireworks Festival, several new programs including the Parachute Jumping Show and the Tea Ceremony Exhibition will be launched during the festival.

About 10 percent of the 80 events are new. Over 30 countries and regions will participate in the festival.

The festival is expected to be an important effort to aid the local tourism industry which suffered heavily during the SARS outbreak.

"It offers us a good chance to showcase the new and improved face of post-SARS Shanghai, and the festival hopes to embrace both visitors from home and abroad as much as possible," said Yao Mingbao, director of the Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission.

China is estimated to lose about 276.8 billion yuan of tourism revenue due to severe acute respiratory syndrome, said the National Tourism Administration.

(eastday.com August 15, 2003)