China reassures tourists after Xinjiang attack

BEIJING (Reuters) - A senior Chinese tourism official reassured Olympic visitors on Tuesday that the country is safe to visit despite an attack in the far western region of Xinjiang.

He admitted, however, that China has a poor global image and officials have said the storm of bad publicity in the run-up to the Beijing Games, including unrest in Tibet and protests during the torch relay, could put people off coming.

Compounding the problem has been visa curbs and tourist numbers in Beijing have plummeted before the Games, which start on Friday, causing pain for hotels and airlines.

The latest piece of bad news came on Monday, when 16 police died in an attack in the former Silk Road city of Kashgar in Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people.

"These kinds of things happen in other parts of the world too, and of course it will naturally have a psychological effect on tourists," Du Jiang, deputy head of the China National Tourism Administration, told reporters.

"But I think this is an individual incident. At the same time there has been no fundamental change to the fact that we are basically a safe travel destination," he added.

"I believe that through stepping up our work we can get the message across once again that China is safe and good value."

BIGGEST THREATS

The Uighurs have been a focus of China's strict nationwide security in the run-up to the Games. Officials have said militants seeking an independent "East Turkestan" homeland are among the biggest threats to the Olympics.

Hotel reservations seem to reflect fears some people may have about coming to Beijing.

Four star hotels say that on average less than half their rooms are booked during the Olympic period. Some three star hotels have only managed to book out a tenth of their rooms.

"There is certainly a negative impression," Du said, referring to the image of China in many foreigner's minds.

"We must release news in a timely way to ensure people know the real situation."

Yet Du only had one suggestion for how to alter perceptions -- promoting China better to an outside audience through advertisements.

"We have made a brand-new publicity film, and we will increase work in this regard to put across the image that China is a safe destination," he said.

(Editing by Ed Osmond)