Beichuan unveils big tourism plan

CHENGDU: Beichuan, one of the counties in Sichuan province most devastated by the May 12 earthquake, has formulated an ambitious 19.7 billion yuan ($2.89 billion) tourism restoration plan, local officials said.

A lynchpin of the plan is transforming the province into an internationally renowned destination for travelers to learn about the Qiang and Dayu ethnic minorities' cultures within three to five years.

It will also reinvent its former county seat into a national earthquake museum, Zhang Gu, head of the Sichuan provincial tourism bureau, said yesterday.