All restaurant and hotel managers in northwest China's Shaanxi Province have been told to preserve their food samples for 48 hours during the Beijing Olympic period for fear of possible food safety incidents.

Emergency teams for handling such incidents must stand by around the clock, according to the Provincial Food Safety Committee.

Supervision efforts will be focused on restaurants and hotels at key tourist cities, famous scenic spots, airports and railway and long-distance bus stations, the committee said.

"It is expected that a large number of overseas tourists will visit Shaanxi during the Games period. We must ensure food safety and a safe Olympics," said Zhang Ning, head of the the committee's general office and deputy head of the Provincial Food and Drug Administration.

Shaanxi is a popular tourist destination known for the world-renowned terracotta warriors and many historic interest sites.

The province received more than 270,000 overseas tourists in the first four months, up 112.15 percent from a year earlier. This generated US$144 million of revenue, up 21 percent, according to the latest Provincial Tourism Administration statistics.

Beijing, which hosts the Olympics from August 8-24 and the Paralympics from September 6-17, is expected to draw about 500,000 overseas visitors during the Games period, according to a Beijing Municipal Tourism Administration forecast.

(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2008)