NANNING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Heavy downpours in south China have not only caused losses to people's daily lives but also threatened the tourism industry.

(Photo: VCG)

The scenic city of Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has seen strong rainfall since last Friday, forcing the closure of many tourist sites and the stopping of ships. The number of tourists has significantly decreased.

In Guilin's Yangshuo County, at one of the essential tourist attractions known for its picturesque karst mountains and beautiful rivers, the number of tourists decreased by 30 percent year on year to 550,000 from July 1 to July 15, according to the county government.

The downpours also damaged facilities worth 120 million yuan (17 million U.S. dollars) in the county, leading to a direct economic loss of more than 90 million yuan among business people there.

In Guilin's Xiangshan Park, the number of tourists from July 1 to 15 is down 80 percent compared to the same period last year.

"We opened a viewing platform at a higher place, and tourists have to take turns to enjoy the scenery here," said Long Qiaosheng, with the Xiangshan Park.

"It is such a pity that we did not get to enjoy many of the scenes in Guilin," said tourist Ruan Zhaoming, from east China's Jiangsu Province. "We knew it would rain, but we did not expect the rainfall to be so strong here."

In Yangshuo's Lijiang River tourist attraction, tourism revenue decreased by about 8 million yuan compared to the same period last year.

Rainstorms have affected more than 360,000 people in Guangxi as of Sunday, damaging over 35,000 hectares of crops, according to the region's emergency management department.

The disastrous weather in Guangxi has prompted the region to activate level-II emergency response and send special work teams and relief materials to the ravaged areas.