With the close of 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, inbound tourism in China has entered into a new phase. Continuing the growth of domestic tourism is now topping the travel industry's agenda.

"The tourism of Expo has brought direct revenue of more than 80 billion yuan ($12 billion) and the impact of Expo is not only the push for the economy…Post-Expo time has raised the curtain for further development," commented Shao Qiwei, director of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

According to CNTA statistics, inbound tourism increased by 6.21 percent from January to September and revenue was up 15.78 percent compared with the same period last year.

China International Travel Service Limited (CITS) is attempting to capitalize on the increase by launching an inbound tourism website (B2B) at the end of last month. The site offers travel products, travel news and recommended destinations. The website is targeted toward tour operators rather than tourists and focuses on direct online sales.

"This year, influenced by Expo, CITIS' inbound tourism increased by 40 percent, this is why we launched the B2B website to satisfy the increasing market demand, with more foreign tourists learning about China through Shanghai World Expo," said CITS' general manager of inbound tours, Wang Jibin.

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