Travelers in this southern Chinese city will have to pay more as hotels will continue to increase tariff rate this year, insiders said.

The rise came after a record high of hotel room prices last year, which was an average of 356 yuan ($45.6) per night, an increase of 11.37 percent compared with that in 2005, sources with a recent Guangzhou hotel industry meeting said.

The White Swan Hotel, the first five-star hotel in Guangzhou, had an average room price of 834 yuan ($106) per night last year, up 36 yuan ($4.6) more than that of the previous year.

"It was a record high in the hotel's history," said Zhu Min, a manager of the Public Relation at the hotel.

Following the price rise last year, Zhu said that the hotel will continue to adjust the room price this year to a "relatively higher" standard.

Sources with the Guangzhou Landmark Cantor Hotel also said that it would increase its room price by 10 percent this year, in a bid to catch a bigger share in the local hotel market.

Li Zhixin, deputy director of the Guangzhou Municipal Tourism Bureau, attributed last year's hotel price increase to rapid increase of outbound tourists to the city.

The number of outbound visitors to this capital city of South China's Guangdong Province exceeded two million last year, with an increase of 17.8 percent over the previous year, according to Li.

"Many of the overseas visitors came here for business rather than sightseeing since the city launched a great number of international business and trade events last year. It partly explains why hotel prices kept rising," Li said.

Besides, many hotels in Guangzhou last year had invested heavily in facilities renovation, he said.

"The improved facelift is also a reason for the rise," Li told China Daily.

"For many hotels, the continuous price rise has not affected their business. In turn, they will see more guests as the city has entered a period of high economic development," Li said.

Usually, hotel prices in Guangzhou are lower than that in Beijing and Shanghai.

In Beijing and Shanghai, the average room price in five-star hotels reaches more than 1,000 yuan ($128) per night.

"The rise in hotel prices reflects that Guangzhou's economy is also on a fast track and the hotel price serves as a mirror for economic development," Li said.

Editor: Yan