Special supplement: Leisure market mirrors provincial progress

GUANGZHOU: To mark the 30th anniversary of China's opening-up and reform policies, the Guangdong provincial government held its first forum on modern tourism on Nov 28, part of the ongoing 2008 Guangdong International Tourism and Culture Festival.

Organized by the Guangdong tourism administration, Sun Yat-sen University and Hong Kong's Phoenix Television, the forum hosted by Wu Xiaoli, a well-known TV anchor from Hong Kong, was a highlight of the festival.

Experts at discussion noted that in the past three decades, Guangdong created an "economic development miracle", transforming itself from a poor agricultural province into an affluent international investment destination.