CHENGDU, Dec.12 (NBD) -- The unique experience of industrial tourism attracted more and more tourists over the past several years.

“China is ushering in tourism era when people have an increasing need for factory tours”, Li Jinzao, chairman of China National Tourism Administration, commented at a conference.

According to Li, in the next five years, the factory tours will receive more than one billion person times with a total income exceeding 200 billion yuan (about 29 billion US dollars). The corresponding consolidated income will be 10 times more than the direct income. The newly expanding tourist service will directly create jobs for 1.2 million people and indirectly drive the employment for over 6 million people.

A growing number of enterprises become aware of the profits brought by industrial tourism. They have launched a variety of tourist projects, such as Daqing petroleum exhibition hall in Heilongjiang and Tsingtao beer museum (the World of Tsingtao).

Compared with the traditional tourism, the industrial tourism doesn’t only offer sight-seeing, but also satisfy tourists’ curiosity. Through factory tours, visitors can get a deeper knowledge about the city’s enterprises, technology development and corporate cultures.