AS many as 72,100 Shenzhen citizens had signed up for domestic tours during the National Day holidays by Tuesday, 25,600 people more than that in the same period last year.

　　Beijing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Yunnan and Hainan provinces are still the major tourist destinations for Shenzhen residents, according to the No. 1 forecast for the “Golden Week” released Tuesday by the municipal holiday office.

　　The forecast also indicated that tourist agencies in Shenzhen would receive a total of 102,200 tourists from outside the city, 44,300 more, or an increase of 76.5 percent over last year.

　　The average hotel reservation rate in the city for the National Day holidays was 30 percent by Tuesday, three percentage points lower than last year.

　　Taking into account the possibility that all hotel rooms in Hong Kong might be booked out ahead of the holiday, the holiday office has demanded that tourist agencies make arrangements for hotel reservations ahead of time.

　　They then must pass the information on tourist group numbers to border authorities and their counterparts in Hong Kong 24 hours before the travel dates.