With the ongoing Shanghai Pudong World Carnival scoring a huge hit with locals, another company will launch its fun-fair next year in more than 20 cities across the nation, but Shanghai is not on its touring list.

　　The Beijing-based Transworld Festival Co Ltd, invested by the Mega Amusementsgroupsof the Netherlands and a Chinese-born American, made the announcement recently.

　　"So far, Shanghai is not on our 2004 schedule," said Bert Kan, managing director of Transworld.

　　"The reason for the absence is that we attach great importance to the local market, so the event in the city must be the best of all, at least far better than the current carnival in Shanghai. We felt we are not ready for it yet."

　　The swipe at the Pudong carnival notwithstanding, it is easy to see why the company is hesitating to come to the city. The present fair has been drawing an overwhelming number of visitors. Another carnival so soon may not be a good idea.

　　In fact, organizers of the Shanghai Pudong World Carnival seem to have realized this, saying that the event will not return to the city next year despite the huge crowds, betraying its announcement in June that it would be back in 2004.

　　"The company's timetable for next year is full, with no scope for local events," Hua Jianhong, news center director of the event's organizing committee, claimed.

　　According to Hua, the mobile game fair would tour to Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, in November, and then other domestic cities as well as regions outside China.

　　The carnival saw 1.2 million visitors during the first 30-day summer round after opening on June 27. During its autumn run, the fair has so far received more than 800,000 people since it opened on September 12. It will end this Sunday.

　　While being an operational and business success, the world carnival has been criticized for its "messy management and bad circumstances."

　　Meanwhile in trying to be different, Transworld's Kan said that his company's aim is not only the carnival itself, but cooperation with Chinese amusement parks.

　　"We will bring our own restaurants built with European standards in our carnival, and try to provide the best setting for visitors," said Kan, adding the mobile carnival will have a 30- to 60-day run in each city.