Introduction
China is a vast country, with long travel times between the many cultural, historical and natural wonders of the land, 23 of which have already been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Altogether there are 26 provinces, each with their own dialect and regional characteristics. The western provinces of Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan occupy an enormous area of land, and Sichuan alone is about the size of France. China International Travel Services (CITS), the state travel agency, tends to organise a good deal of the tours in China, although more and more specialist operators are running packages so visitors are now presented with a considerable choice of excursions. Independent travel is becoming both easier and more popular, a trend likely to increase with China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001. For full details of independent travel in China, contact the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) or China International Travel Service (CITS) (see Contact Addresses section). Individual visitors wishing to travel to Tibet should note that they must obtain permits in advance from one of the Tibet Tourist Authority’s Tourism Offices (see Contact Addresses and Passport/Visa sections).
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