The number of tourists coming to China this year is expected to surpass a record 100 million, a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) study shows.

In the book on tourism published Friday, experts also analyzed tourism in 2003.

Inbound tourism suffered due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak earlier last year, but started to pick up in June.

The number of business or conference visitors rose by 7.58 percent in October over the previous year, more rapidly than tour groups. The number of tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia, Mongolia and Singapore began to grow.

"China is very rich in cultural and scenic attractions and as China's society and economy develops rapidly, and in the global economic recovery -- if we can successfully contain SARS this year-- the goal of receiving 100 million overseas tourists is likely to happen," said Zhang Guangrui, an expert with the CASS.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2004)