Dubai showcases China's most beautiful city

TOURISM DRIVE: Hangzhou, pictured, is regarded as the most beautiful city in China. (Getty Images)

The Chinese city of Hangzhou, regarded by the government as the most beautiful in the country, is being showcased for the first time at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai in a bid to attract more tourists from the Middle East.

The Hangzhou Tourism Commission has 180 delegates of its own attending the region's largest travel and tourism fair being held in Dubai from May 6--9.

“We are here to promote Hangzhou as an "oriental capital of leisure", "a time-honoured cultural city famed for its tea, silk and beautiful scenery," said Li Hong, director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission.

"Hangzhou is a modern, diversified city, which offers many business opportunities,” he said.

The city was recognised in 2007 as China's Best Tourism City by the China Tourism Administration and the UN World Tourism Organisation.

Located on the Yangtze River delta, the Italian explorer Marco Polo once called it the finest and noblest city in the world, due to its ancient gardens, pavilions, pagodas, springs and grottos.

Last year, China's bid to become a tourism hotspot meant it welcomed more than 132 million international visitors, an increase of over 5% from 2006.

Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, in March visited China with the aim of increasing bilateral relations, a trip covered extensively by ArabianBusiness.com.

To view the ArabianBusiness.com special report on Sheikh Mohammed's visit, click here.

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