VIENNA - The China World Expo Tourism Year 2010 was launched on Thursday at the Hilton Hotel in Vienna, the capital of Austria.

About 230 representatives of Austria's political, economic, transport, tourism and cultural circles, including two members of the National Assembly and the president of the Austrian Tourism Association, as well as Chinese Ambassador to Austria Wu Ken, attended the activity.

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The event, titled "World Expo Tourism Night," was organized by the China National Tourism Administration for the purpose of promoting the Shanghai World Expo and the Chinese tourism, and attracting more overseas visitors to Shanghai and China to experience the changes in the country.

Known as the "Olympics of economy, technology and culture," the World Expo will be held in Shanghai from May 1 to October 31. The Shanghai Expo is another major event after the Beijing Olympics held in 2008.

It is expected to have 70 million domestic and overseas visitors, among whom foreign tourists could amount to 3.5 million.

The Chinese ambassador Wu said in his speech that during the celebration of the Shanghai Expo, millions of visitors around the world would be expected to visit the largest city in China.

China will provide excellent services to all foreign guests, he pledged.

The president of the Austrian Tourism Association, Edward Gordon, pointed out in his speech that over the past years, the development and changes of China and Shanghai have deeply impressed him.

He believed that there is great potential for tourism development between Austria and China, and said that tourism is an effective way to promote the mutual understanding between the two peoples.