Phil Bolton, GlobalAtlanta’s publisher, recently visited Sichuan province in China where he saw the natural beauty of the Aba Jiuzhaigou region and historic Buddhist temples.

Atlanta-based China Professional Tours Inc. has entered into an agreement with a travel development company in Chengdu, China, to promote in Canada and the United States one of China’s most scenic areas and the home of the giant pandas.

Nick Qin, president of China Professional Tours Inc., and Junhui Yan, general manager of the Sichuan Zhonghe Travel Development Co. Ltd. signed the agreement on Aug. 29 in Chengdu for one year with the option for two additional years.

“We are applying a revolutionary process to this initiative,” Ms. Yan said at a press conference following the signing. “We will be working with overseas travel agencies to promote us and we know that in the West interactive marketing is important so we will be using those means to attract tourists.”

The agreement applies to the Aba Jiuzhaigou region located on the southeastern rim of the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and the northwestern part of Sichuan province. China Professional Tours is to promote the area specifically to travel agencies, tour operators and tourists.

Well-known as one of China’s premier tourist areas, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization listed the region as a World Heritage Site in1992. It also joined in 1997 UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Program that seeks to protect the globe’s biodiversity.

Some three million tourists, primarily from China, visit the region annually to see its lakes, multi-layered waterfalls, forests and snowcapped mountains. China’s tourism officials are now seeking to have more visitors from the West visit the parks.

The region also is home to 22 ethnic groups and includes the second largest Tibetan-inhabited area in Sichuan. The cultural festivals of the Tibetan and other ethnic groups also attract tourists, many of whom come from China’s cities to see their rural modes of living.

“Americans will compare this beautiful area to the Rocky Mountain or Yellowstone national parks, Mr. Qin told GlobalAtlanta, which attended the ceremony. “But only in this area can you have these magnificent views, interact with the many Chinese tourists and be exposed to the Tibetans and other groups.”

Scott Pearson, left, director of marketing and sales, China Professional Tours Inc.; Nick Qin, center, founder and CEO of China Professional Tours and Junhui Yan, general manager, Sichuan Zhonghe Travel Development Co. Ltd., toast the signing of their agreement.

Many of the Tibetans continue to live in their ancestral villages, which are scattered throughout the area, and are occupied primarily with the care of their yaks, a buffalo-like bovine found in the region as well as Tibet.

Both the national and Sichuan governments have been supporting the development of the region since 1952 when it was declared an autonomous prefecture.

Natural reserves including those for the remaining pandas have been established and logging of trees in the area's primeval forest has been banned.

Under the agreement, China Professional Tours will use electronic and traditional marketing resources to encourage target audiences, such as adventure travelers, to visit the prefecture and Sichuan more generally.

Sichuan province and Atlanta already have ties because of Zoo Atlanta’s commitment to help conserve the giant panda. Through the zoo’s Panda Conservation Fund, it supports biological monitoring, field patrols and infrastructure in three panda reserves in Sichuan.

The zoo also has a partnership with the Chengu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding and the Chengdu zoo.

In addition, tourists to the area can visit two other World Heritage site including Mt. Emei, which has four Buddhist temples, and the Leshan Giant Buddha, which was carved into Mt. Leshan from 713-803 A.D.

To learn more about traveling in Sichuan province, Mr. Qin may be reached by calling China Professional Tours at (770) 849-0300.