Odell, Simms and Associates (OSA) announced that it has been awarded a two year contract to provide economic development services for the Tianmu Lake Tourist Resort District in Liyang City, Jiangsu Province. The resulting partnership will promote investment opportunities for North American business in the hotel, resort and tourism industries.

As Tianmu Lake's North American office, OSA will provide free and confidential services to companies in these and other sectors seeking to enter the Chinese market by assisting them in their due-diligence process and providing networking opportunities with top-level government officials and relevant companies in the business community.

Liyang's Mayor, George Gao, remarked 'After spending US$500 million on the regional infrastructure, we are prepared to work together with OSA to promote the development of the Tianmu Lake region. This partnership offers a unique opportunity for us to highlight the investment opportunities to North American companies and take advantage of OSA's expertise in investment promotion.'

While its reputation is known among the local and regional population, funds have recently been allocated to develop Tianmu Lake into a destination for both domestic and international tourists, and specific attention is focused on promoting the opportunity for international investors to develop the tourism industry in order to support increasing demands. As part of the Tianmu Lake development process, 125 square miles of land have been designated for development.

The results of the increased development and promotion of Tianmu Lake have been encouraging. From 2000 to 2004, the number of visitors to this area jumped from 1.1 million to 2.2 million. The district has hosted several competitive sporting events, conferences and festivals.