Understanding and development prospect of tourism industry

First, a brief review of the development of China's tourism industry sO1

(1) The transformation from "career-oriented" to "industrial"

Although the development of China's tourism industry started late, its development speed attracted worldwide attention. Before the reform and opening up, the tourism industry was mainly engaged in foreign affairs reception, and only had the embryonic form of the industry, which did not completely belong to the industrial category. In 1978, the mechanism was changed to develop industrial tourism. In 1984, the central government put forward the tourism construction policy of the state, localities, departments, collectives and individuals, self-reliance and utilization of foreign capital, which opened the prelude to the all-round development of tourism industry. In 1986, the State Council decided to bring tourism into the national economic and social development plan and formally established its national economic status. In 1992, the central government clearly put forward that tourism is the key industry in the tertiary industry. Later, the "Proposal on Formulating the Ninth Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development and the Outline of Long-term Goals in 21" put forward by the central government listed tourism as the first in the sequence of the tertiary industry actively developing emerging industries. In 1998, the Central Economic Work Conference proposed tourism as a new growth point of the national economy. Since then, the State Planning Commission has listed tourism projects as national debt projects, and the railway department has opened hundreds of special tourist trains in time. The support of the Central Committee and the State Council laid a solid foundation for the development of tourism

From the development stage, before 198, the overall scale of the tourism industry was small; During the Sixth Five-Year Plan period, inbound tourism has been greatly improved, and domestic tourism has started. During the Seventh Five-Year Plan period, inbound tourism continued to develop, while domestic tourism developed greatly. During the Eighth Five-Year Plan period, inbound tourism developed greatly and domestic tourism rose rapidly, which was the fastest period of development. During the ninth five-year plan period, the industrial foundation was solid and developed steadily; In 21, affected by the overall negative growth of world tourism, China's tourism industry continued to advance in difficulties, but its growth rate declined. In 22, China's tourism industry rebounded as a whole, and the growth rate of four tourism economic indicators all exceeded 1% (see Table 1).

Table 1 Growth of main tourism economic indicators in different periods in China (1991-22)

Note: ① National Tourism Administration, Fifty Years of Tourism in China, the number of people and income data are the period plus the total;

② National Tourism Administration, Statistical Bulletin of China Tourism in 21;

③ National Tourism Administration, Statistical Bulletin of China Tourism in 22.

in short, with the help of reform and opening up, China's tourism industry has been developing rapidly for more than 2 years, from scratch, from small to large, with increasingly distinct industrial image and growing industrial scale, becoming one of the fastest-growing industries in the national economy.

(2) From a small tourist country to a big tourist country

China is one of the countries with the fastest tourism development in the world. In 1978, the number of international tourists in China (1.8 million) was only .7% of the world, ranking 41 ST in the world; In 22, it received 97.91 million overseas tourists, making it the fifth largest tourist attraction in the world and the first largest tourist country in Asia. In 1978, China earned foreign exchange from international tourism (US$ 26 million), accounting for only .38% of the world, ranking 47th in the world. In 22, it increased to $2.4 billion, accounting for 4.4% of the world's total, making it the fifth largest foreign exchange earning country in the world. In 22, the number of China citizens going abroad reached 16,62,3, an increase of 36.84% over the previous year, making it a remarkable emerging tourist exporting country in Asia. In 22, the number of domestic tourists in China reached 878 million, making it the largest domestic tourist market with the fastest growth rate and the strongest potential in the world.

The scale of China's tourism industry is also expanding. According to incomplete statistics, by the end of 21, there were 11, foreign-related hotels in China, of which 8,18 were rated as star-rated hotels. There are more than 1, travel agencies, including more than 1,3 international travel agencies. The fixed assets of tourism in China reach 7 billion yuan, and there are 26, tourism enterprises and institutions. There are 5.98 million direct employees and 29.8 million indirect employees in the tourism industry; * * * There are 1,152 institutions offering tourism education with 34, students.

(3) Tourism is increasingly becoming a new growth point of China's economy

With the vigorous development of tourism in China, its comprehensive and highly relevant characteristics are increasingly fully displayed, which plays an increasingly important role in promoting the development of related industries, expanding domestic demand, enhancing economic vitality and improving people's quality of life.

in p>22, China's tourism industry achieved a total tourism revenue of 556.6 billion yuan, up by 12% over the previous year, which was more than 3 percentage points higher than the overall growth rate of the national economy. The total tourism revenue was equivalent to 5.4% of the GDP of that year, accounting for more than 16% of the tertiary industry, and the foreign exchange income from tourism accounted for more than half of the foreign exchange generated by the national service trade.

Tourism has increasingly become a new growth point of China economy and one of the main pillars of the tertiary industry in China. Twenty-four provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China have positioned tourism as a pillar industry, while other provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities have positioned tourism as an important industry or an advantageous industry respectively.

second, the opportunities and prospects of tourism development in China

(1) development opportunities

First, the sustained, rapid and healthy development of the national economy will push tourism to a new level. In the first decade of the 21st century, the average annual growth rate of China's national economy will remain above 7%, and its comprehensive national strength will be further improved. The deepening of economic system reform, the development of opening to the outside world, the overall progress of economy and society, and the adjustment of industrial structure will all promote the development of tourism.

the second is the opportunity brought by building a well-off society in an all-round way. Building a well-off society in an all-round way means that more than one billion people in China will move towards a higher level of well-off society, and the demand for tourism will inevitably increase, and tourism consumption will become one of the symbols and characteristics of a well-off society. China's "well-off society is still a low-level, incomplete and unbalanced one", but it is at this well-off level that the largest domestic tourism market and the fastest-growing overseas tourist market have been formed in the world. Third, the implementation of the strategy of developing the western region will enable many world-class tourism resources in the west to be developed and transformed from resource advantages to economic advantages, thus continuously improving the international competitiveness and development stamina of China's tourism industry and forming new growth of China's tourism industry.

fourthly, after China's entry into WTO, the tourism industry and its related industries will accelerate the pace of international integration, and the development environment will be further optimized, which will also promote the growth of international business tourism.

Fifth, China is the safest tourist destination country in the world. The "9.11" incident in the United States and the outbreak of the war between the United States and Iraq led to a decline in world tourism, but because of China's political stability, sustained and rapid economic development and a series of major measures implemented by the China administration, China's image as the safest tourist destination has been strengthened.

Sixth, China's accession to the WTO, Beijing's successful bid to host the Olympic Games, Shanghai's successful bid to host the World Expo, Hangzhou's successful bid to host the World Leisure Expo in 26 and the World Tourism Organization's General Assembly in October 23 will be held in Beijing for the first time, which shows that China's international status and influence are increasing day by day and play a positive role in promoting the development of China's tourism industry.

(II) Prospect Analysis

With the building of a well-off society in an all-round way, under the two-way interaction between supply and demand, China's tourism industry has a bright future.

1. The tourism market has great potential

With the improvement of people's wealth and the increase of leisure time and disposable income, the domestic tourism demand will increase at a high speed. China is the first populous country in the world, and it has the largest domestic tourist market unmatched by any other country in the world. In 22, 8 out of 13 China people made a trip. Since May 1st, 1995, China has implemented the 4-hour working weekend system, and since 1999, it has implemented the seven-day holiday of May 1st, 11th and Spring Festival. At present, the total number of legal rest days that China citizens can enjoy every year is 114, and residents have more and more leisure time. At the same time, the consumption structure is changing from subsistence consumption to enjoyment and development, and the Engel coefficient of urban and rural residents' consumption is decreasing year by year, from 49.9% and 58.6% in 1995 to 37.7% and 46.2% in 22 respectively. Consumption such as housing, car purchase and communication will be gradually satisfied, while tourism demand as a combination of spirit and material will be generated repeatedly. According to international experience, when the per capita GDP reaches 8 ~ 1, dollars, tourism consumption will be popular and become one of the elements of life. By 22, China will build a well-off society in an all-round way. If everyone travels twice a year, the number of domestic tourists will be as high as 3 billion.

2. Unique tourism resources

China has a vast territory, beautiful mountains and rivers, a long history, splendid culture and many ethnic groups, and its long history and vast territory have formed extremely rich tourism resources. According to the research, the number of natural and humanistic tourism resources in China ranks first in the world, surpassing the United States, Spain, France and other tourism powers. At present, there are more than 15, tourist attractions (spots) in China, covering natural landscapes, history and culture, reform achievements and social life, among which 28 are listed in the World Heritage List, 151 are national key scenic spots, 44 are national geological parks, 197 are national nature reserves, 439 are national forest parks, 99 are national historical and cultural cities, and the national 4A-level tourist areas (national tourist areas). Unique local customs, colorful urban scenery, magnificent construction projects, etc., provide unique conditions and foundations for the development of tourism

3. From a big tourist country to a world tourist power

According to the basic idea of the Tenth Five-Year Plan for tourism development formulated by the National Tourism Administration, by 22, the number of overseas tourists in China will exceed 21 million, and the foreign exchange income from tourism will be more than 58 billion US dollars. Domestic tourism will reach more than 2.9 billion person-times, and tourism revenue will reach more than 2,4 billion yuan. The total output of tourism will reach more than 2.5 trillion yuan, which is equivalent to 8% of GDP. Scholars at home and abroad are optimistic about the development prospects of China's tourism industry, and China will become a world tourism power. Authoritative organizations including the World Tourism Organization (WTO) all believe that China will become the first tourist destination country in the world in 22 (see Table 2). The World Tourism Council predicts that by 22, China's total tourism output will account for 8.64% of GDP, tourism consumption will account for 6.79% of total consumption, and tourism investment will account for 8.61% of total investment, which is close to the world average.

Table 222 Top Ten Tourism Destinations in the World

Source: According to World Tourism Organization (WTO) World Tourism Development Forecast Report 22, 1997. Third, give further play to the leading role of tourism in the development of national economy

(1) implement the strategy of tourism economic development

Building a well-off society in an all-round way means that China will basically realize industrialization by 22, the comprehensive improvement of land and resources and the construction of ecological protection will reach a new level, the process of agricultural modernization and rural urbanization will achieve great results, the strategy of developing the western region has made breakthrough progress, and the proportion of the tertiary industry in the national economy has greatly increased. This historical process will be from all aspects and

Investment, consumption and export are the three main aspects to maintain economic growth, and tourism can play an important role in these three aspects. From a macro perspective, tourism investment has played a certain role in economic growth and maintained a high input-output ratio. It is generally believed in the world that tourism is the best export industry, which exports scenery locally and has the advantage of low exchange cost. The state has implemented a number of policies to stimulate internal demand, such as the implementation of the large-scale development of the western region, raising the salary of civil servants, and increasing infrastructure spending. On the basis of these policies, we should also learn from the successful experience of developed countries in developing tourism and leisure industry and take measures to vigorously stimulate tourism and leisure consumption and promote the development of China's tourism economy. In the process of industrialization, Britain has formulated corresponding plans and policies, which has promoted the transformation from an industrial society centered on products to a post-industrial society centered on services. It can be boldly predicted that among many policies, the implementation of the "tourism economic development strategy" can play a better role.

To this end, it is necessary to completely change the long-standing misunderstanding of tourism, clear up some restrictive consumption policies and a series of policies and regulations that discriminate and restrict the development of tourism, clarify the position of tourism as China's dominant industry, implement the tourism economic development strategy, and build a world tourism power in an all-round way.

(2) Give full play to the role of domestic tourism in stimulating domestic demand

At the end of p>21, the Central Economic Work Conference clearly stated that "expanding domestic demand is a strategic policy that needs to be adhered to for a long time". In 23, the Government Work Report put forward suggestions on eight key tasks this year, the first of which was to "expand and cultivate domestic demand and promote rapid economic growth". Under the current severe international economic situation, the fundamental strategy to achieve rapid economic growth is to expand domestic demand and further form a double pull of consumption and investment. The Government Work Report lists tourism as the second area of expanding consumption, and its importance is self-evident.

tourism is characterized by a flourishing industry, which includes six elements: transportation, sightseeing, food injection, shopping and entertainment. Tourism consumption is not only directly related to industries such as transportation, accommodation, catering, commerce and scenic spots, but also related to industries such as industry, agriculture, information, finance, insurance, medical care, consulting and environmental protection, with more than 1 sub-industries directly and indirectly affected. Compared with the consumption level of housing and automobiles, the price range of tourism consumption ranges from a few yuan of tourist souvenirs to tens of thousands or even tens of thousands of tourist routes, and the products are extremely productive and consumable. In 21, China residents' tourism consumption expenditure only accounted for 5.97% of the residents' final consumption expenditure, which is far from the world average of 11%, and there is still a lot of room for developing domestic tourism.

Therefore, while vigorously developing inbound tourism, we should put domestic tourism in a more important position and promote the development of domestic tourism in breadth and depth. It is necessary to step up publicity, actively guide domestic tourism consumption, and implement the paid vacation system. We should actively guide the planning and development of new tourism products, actively explore new business methods, continuously improve service quality and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of consumers.

(3) Actively promote the adjustment of economic structure

Tourism is an industry with a relatively high degree of industrial relevance, which is conducive to promoting the development of related industries and upgrading the economic structure. Tourism is an important content of modern service industry, and service industry is an important part of national economy. Its development level is a basic index to measure economic modernization and comprehensive national strength, and its development indicates the direction of economic structure and industrial structure evolution. According to the requirements of the Tenth Five-Year Plan, the average annual growth rate of added value of service industry should be appropriately fast.