Capital idea for a photo competition

A storytelling competition open to all foreigners in Beijing kicked off on Monday in the capital.

Any foreign tourists can participate in the competition by passing on pictures they take or clips of video they shoot in the city online, according to the organizers, Beijing Municipal Commission of Tourism Development.

"The competition serves as a platform for foreigners in the capital to further explore the city and promote communication between Beijing and the outside world," said Wang Yue, deputy director of the commission.

Wang said foreign friends can also help the government discover and further tap the tourism resources of the city.

Lan Tran, an international student from Tsinghua University, who likes traveling and taking pictures in his spare time, said the competition is right up his street.

"There is no reason to miss it — take a picture and get rewarded with a tourism coupon worth 5,000 yuan, ($800)," said the 26-year-old student from Vietnam. "You can also make some like-minded friends as well."

A total number of 9 participants will be granted a tourism coupon ranging from 1,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan, while 20 others will be rewarded with a Beijing Park Pass worth 100 yuan.

Participants can upload their works on the official website of the commission, www.visitbeijing.cn.

The submission period is from June 11 to July 31.

According to the commission, the capital currently has more than 200,000 resident foreigners, a little more than 1 percent of the total population.

The city received some 5.2 million inbound tourists in the year 2011, a year-on-year increase of 6.2 percent.