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Shenzhen attracted 530,780 foreign tourists who stayed overnight in the first seven months this year, almost a 95-percent surge over the same period last year.

Tourism authority figures also indicated that the city had 12.36 million overseas tourists to July, up 18.6 percent over the same period last year. Their daily per capita expenditure increased by 22.4 percent over 2003, reaching an average of 550.69 yuan (US$66.1).

The big increase in the number of overseas tourists indicates that Shenzhen's tourism has fully recovered from the influence of SARS. In total, Shenzhen had about 28.94 million national and international visitors in the past seven months, 27.14 percent higher than in 2003.

Meanwhile, the tourism authority called on local tourism services to brace for the approaching major exhibitions to be held in the next four months in Shenzhen.

Beginning Sept. 26, Shenzhen will host the Fifth China International Garden and Flower Exposition. The Sixth China Hi-Tech Fair will be held from Oct. 12 to Oct. 17 and the city will also usher in the International Cultural Industry Fair from Nov. 18 to Nov. 22.

"The three exhibitions and the National Day (holidays) will bring a great number of visitors. It's a huge market for various aspects of the tourism industry. We should not let the opportunity slip away," said Chi Xiongbiao, Shenzhen's tourism chief, when addressing representatives of hotels, travel agencies and scenic attractions at a meeting Friday.