The gorges are a prime destination in China for North American and European tourists, who account for 80 per cent of all foreign visitors to Hubei province. But since the end of last year, many have cancelled Yangtze cruise bookings, Li Weiping, general manager of the Hubei Overseas Travel Group Ltd., was quoted as saying.

Japanese tourists have also begun abandoning plans for a Three Gorges trip this year, and local tour operators and other tourism-related businesses are feeling the pinch, the newspaper said in its March 15 report.

Chen Yucai, general manager of the China Travel Corporation Group of Hubei, said foreigners were cancelling trips abroad because of concerns about air-travel safety.

China is aiming to boost tourism centred on the Three Gorges dam. The Three Gorges Project Corp. and the municipal government of Yichang, near the project site, are taking part in a bid to exploit the tourism potential of the world’s biggest dam.

A budget of US$20 million has been earmarked for the initial construction phase of a theme park to be built near the dam. Seven zones are planned, including a dam-sightseeing area, an exhibition highlighting the history of the Three Gorges project, and land- and water-based recreation facilities. Tours are also being created that will take visitors to both the Three Gorges dam and the smaller Gezhouba dam 40 kilometres downstream.

It is not clear whether the Three Gorges theme park will include a memorial honouring the 200 workers said to have lost their lives building the dam. Peng Qiyou, head of construction for the Three Gorges Project Corp., told reporters last year that such a monument was planned at the dam site.