China would seek to boost global tourism with actions to counter the financial crisis, Shao Qiwei, Chairman of the National Tourism Administration, said on Sunday.

He made the remark when meeting with Geoffrey Lipman, assistant secretary-general for UN World Tourism Organization at the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference 2009 in Boao, Hainan Province.

Shao noted reviving the global tourism needed efforts from all countries and regions. China would contribute its bit with other nations to help the industry recover.

He said China was braced for reduced number of visiting foreign tourists because of the financial crisis.

Policies from both central government and local governments to boost consumption sustained domestic and outbound tourism, he added.

The number of tourists traveling overseas grew more than 10 percent year on year in 2008, he said.

Lipman said packages to boost tourism in China aimed at both short-term effects and long-term development.

China had huge potential for tourism consumption, which would fuel the recovery and sustainable development of global tourism, Lipman said.

Lipman expressed his support on behalf of the UN World Tourism Organization for China building Hainan into an international tourism island, saying the construction sent to the world tourism industry an active signal.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2009)