![](https://big5.cctv.com/gate/big5/www.cctv.cn/english/news/sanji/images/c.gif) |
|
Local travel still encouraged while long holidays canceled: official |
CCTV.COM 2003-04-20 18:04:58 |
|
Local travel is still encouraged although the Chinese government decided to cancel the week-long May Day holidays, a senior health ministry official said in Beijing Sunday at a press conference.
The decision is aimed to discourage large-scale traveling nationwide, and does not mean an end to tourism, Executive Vice-Minister of Health Gao Qiang said.
The canceling of long holidays is to prevent the possible spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) although the move may cause great losses to the country's tourism industry, he said earlier at the press conference.
He said it is necessary to control the flow of nationwide traveling as SARS still exists in some parts of China.
"But we surely do not hope to keep everyone at home," he said, "Local traveling would be harmless."
|
Editor: Xiao Wei Source:Xinhua
|
|
|
|
|
|
![](https://big5.cctv.com/gate/big5/www.cctv.cn/english/news/sanji/images/c.gif) |