Nuraisim Widjaja Kusuma, a 50-year-old Indonesian, yesterday became the 100 millionth tourist to enter the country through South China's Guangdong Province this year.

Nuraisim was greeted with a wreath as she passed through the customs exit at Guangzhou New Baiyun International Airport. "I am very excited to be here. Guangzhou is such a beautiful city, attracting millions of international tourists," she said.

Accompanied by her husband, Donny Ng, Nuraisim said she would travel to Guilin in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after a two-day stay in Guangdong.

The province, one of South China's economic powerhouses, has also become a hot destination for international tourists in recent years.

As of yesterday, more than 100 million had passed through the province this year, sources with the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration said.

"With over 100 million international tourists passing through this year, Guangdong has become the province with the largest number of inbound tourists in China," said Zheng Tongyang, director of the provincial tourism authority.

Guangdong welcomes 80 per cent of the international tourists visiting China, Zheng added.

The province's tourism industry has generated some 200 billion yuan (US$25 billion) in revenue this year, up 9.7 per cent over the previous year, according to Zheng.

It is expected that inbound tourism revenue will reach US$7 billion this year, up 9 per cent over last year.

"Many of the overseas Chinese who have spread out over the world originated in Guangdong, which helps attract thousands of them back either to visit relatives or scenic spots in the province," Zheng told China Daily yesterday.

Guangdong is the home province of roughly 20 million overseas Chinese, who mainly live in Southeast Asian countries, Zheng added.

Annual international events, like the Canton Fair in Guangzhou and the China High-Tech Fair Shenzhen, have also contributed to the province's inbound tourism sector.

Editor: Donald