Experts said the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit China's western Sichuan Province on Monday will have little long-term impact on the province's tourism industry.

The short-term impact is severe. After the quake hit on Monday the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) ordered all local travel agencies to halt its planned journeys destined to or passing through quake-hit areas.

Groups that have already set out for quake-hit areas will be halted, and the public is asked not to visit the areas in the near future.

Wu Jiaoli, an expert with Ctrip. com, a renowned national online traveling service company, said the quake had given a severe and abrupt shock to the tourism and traveling industry in the areas. The company had canceled several planned tours out of concern for safety.

The number of Travelers to scenic Emei Mountain is expected to be reduced by 20 percent this year, said Pingan Securities in its analysis report, adding that some travelers will choose to visit other famous mountains instead, such as Huangshan in eastern Anhui Province.

The earthquake might cut the inflow of foreign tourists even more, said a staff member surnamed Huang in a travel agency that deals in arranging domestic travel for overseas tourists.

Dai Bin, vice president of China tourism institution with the CNTA told Xinhua that the prospects for the tourism industry this year may not be as bright as in the previous years, but it will not persist long.

"It takes time to restore the damaged transportation, communications, water and electric power supply, but the influence on the tourism industry could be much smaller than the winter storms in January and February, or the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003," said Dai.

Located in the country's southwest mountainous areas, Sichuan is well-known by its diversified scenic spots, including Jiuzhaigou, Emei Mountain and Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center.

Tourism and travel accounted for more than 8 percent of the province's gross domestic product. Figures from the National Bureau of Statistics show tourism revenue of Sichuan Province hit 121.7 billion yuan in 2007, up 24.3 percent year on year. Sichuan received 185.7 million domestic travelers and 1.71 million foreign travelers in 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2008)