Shipping is suspended on the Three Gorges Dam area from April 10 to June 15 as flooding of the reservoir begins.

But the suspension of shipping will not stop tourists from continuing to enjoy the famous scenery along the Three Gorges.

During this period, all passengers will be handled through "cross-dam" transport, while cargoes will be dispatched through railways and roads.

According to the plan, passengers moving eastward can dock at the Maoping Port on the upper reaches of the dam and take a 40-kilometre bus trip to Yichang Port, Central China's Hubei Province, where they can continue their river trip. Passengers moving westward can disembark at Yichang and continue their river trip from Maoping in the same way.

The Maoping Port can handle 17,000 passengers daily, according to Tang Guanjun, vice-director of the shipping administration. In addition, 200 tourist buses are available in the area.

Tourists will enjoy the same beautiful scenery as before since all the famous tourist sites are located along the upper reaches of Maoping Port outside the reservoir area, said Chen Shengjun, chairman of Hubei Travel Agency Association.

The "cross-dam" transport was initiated on November 1, when only one temporary ship lock was left for passenger vessels at the dam site.

Since then, about 1.03 million passengers from more than 7,100 vessels have used the "cross-dam" transport, while 81,000 trucks from 3,400 vessels have been transferred safely.

According to Hubei Tourism Bureau, the total number of tourist arrivals increased by 53.34 per cent in the first two months of this year compared with the same period last year.

The Three Gorges project is located on the upper reaches of the Yangtze - the country's longest river. It is designed for flood-control, power generation and navigation, with the initial fruits being seen this year.

The whole project, which consists of a reservoir and power generating units, began construction in 1993 and is expected to be completed in 2009.

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