Guangdong will lift its restriction on tours to Hong Kong and Macao in June, the Guangdong Tourism Administration said yesterday.

"I don't think the restriction would be removed before June, but given that the SARS situation remains unchanged, the approval would not come after July," Cable TV quoted Administration Chairman Zheng Tongyang as saying yesterday.

He told a press conference in Guangzhou that the province has formally put in a request for Beijing to end the travel ban.

Since late April, all travel activities on the mainland, including those to Hong Kong, have been banned to prevent the spread of the SARS virus. The suspension is due to expire at the end of the month.

"It's time to break the stalemate in the province's travel industry," Zheng said.

The World Health Organization removed Guangdong and Hong Kong's SARS travel warnings last week, providing the opportunity for their tourism sectors to bounce back, he noted.

Sufficient preparations had been made to resume mutual package tours between the province and Hong Kong and Macao.

A new travel tide is swelling and all visitors to the province can expect a "spring breeze, sunshine and a charitable heart", he said.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong must speed up the economic integration process with the Pearl River Delta to revitalize its economy in the post-SARS period, said Tsang Yok-sing, chairman of the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, yesterday.

The same view was stressed by Financial Secretary Antony Leung who chairs the Economic Relaunch Group. The mainland, in particular Guangdong, will be targeted in a series of promotion activities launched by Hong Kong to lure back visitors, he said.

Editor: Liao Ming