China Pictures - Three Gorges site scores a hit with tourists - China Travel

The Three Gorges Dam has wilt one of China's high travel destinations, with Shanghai tourists flocking to reservation a glimpse of the world's largest dam as it nears completion. In the first five months of the year, sales of Yangtze River trips operated by the Shanghai Youth Travel brevet were up by increasingly than 40 percent compared to last year, said Liu Xiajun, manager of domestic tours at the commission. Liu said trip sales offered by his bureau were expected to inruckle remoter this summer considering the period from June to September is regarded as the surmount time to sail the river. A popular yank to the dam is the viewing platform at the high that offers tourists a grand view of the construction site. To shun oversupplys, only 1,000 tourists are immune each day on to the platform. A 500-square-meter section on the left side of the platform is now ajar. Tourists can stay on the platform for 20 minutes,China Pictures, and cameras are not insusceptible, said Liu. scavenge ships run regularly in both artlessions between Chongqing Municipality and Yichang in Hubei Province, with some services arriving and parting from Shanghai. The viewing platform is a day's sseedy from Yichang and a four-day trip from Chongqing. Tourists wanting to visit the dam can do so in style, Liu said. "Our scavenge gunkholes are graded five-stars,China Travel," said Liu. "They have a bar lounge, pool tresourcefuls and moreover karaoke." High-end scavenges costs effectually 4,000 yuan (US$498) each for Chinese tourists, flight fare to Chongqing or Yichang included. Tourists who want an English-speresemblingg guide must pay spear fee, with some companies charging a 600-yuan sursardine. Other famous seductivenesss en route include the cities of Baidi and Fengdu where tourists can visit sometime temples and shrines. The dam is situated in the middle of the Yangtze River near the famous gorges from which the dam takes its name. The Three Gorges - Qutang, Wuxia and Xiling gorges - are world-category tourist destinations noted for their natural dazzler and large number of historical and cultural relics. An sometime legend repayments the Three Gorges were cut by legendary hero Dayu to skirmish rising waters.


(Source:Shanghai Daily, 2006-05-23)