China is very rich in tourism resources, attracting many
domestic and foreign tourists every year to its beautiful
mountains, rivers, springs and waterfalls, its rich and varied folk
customs, handsome old buildings, scenic spots and historical sites
too many to count, to its rare flora and fauna, inimitable opera,
music and dance, to its world-famous cuisine.
Today, China has one of the largest domestic tourism markets in
the world and an outbound tourism market with the highest rate of
growth in the world. In 2005, the number of incoming tourists
exceeded 120.29 million person-times, 10.3 percent up on the
pre-vious year; foreign exchange revenue from tourism rose to
US$29.3 billion, 13.8 percent more than in 2004; the number of
incoming tourists from the 16 main source countries also hit a new
high, far surpassing the 2004 total.?
World Tourism Organization statistics show that China's outbound
tourism is the fastest growing of any emerging tourist source in
the world and that China is Asia's leading source country for
outbound tourism. So far, China has approved 100 countries and
regions as tourist destinations for Chinese citizens traveling at
their own expense, 63 of which can be reached through formal
agencies, including more than 30 European countries.?
The average consumption expenditure of Chinese citizens
traveling abroad has become one of the highest in the world.
According to the statistics of China Travel Monitor under the IPK
International, the average daily expenses of a Chinese tourist in
one long holiday is US$175, (excluding purchases); A German Chamber
of Commerce survey shows that Chinese tourist in Germany has
average daily expenses of US$110, second only to an American
tourist's US$117; the Swiss Information Network puts the figure for
Switzerland at US$313, the highest for any source country.
According to the estimate of the World Tourist and Travel
Council (WTTC), China's tourist and tourism industry may grow by an
annual rate of 10.4 percent over the next 10 years, making China
the world's fourth biggest tourist economy. The World Tourism
Organization predicts that by 2020 China will become the world's
top tourist destination, and fourth in outbound tourist numbers,
with 100 million Chinese nationals traveling abroad every year.
