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Overview of China's tourism industry

1. Development history of China's tourism industry

Although the development of my country's tourism industry started late, its development speed has attracted worldwide attention. Before the reform and opening up, the tourism industry mainly focused on foreign affairs reception. It only had the prototype of an industry and did not fully belong to the industrial category. From the national policy guidance, we can see the development status of China's tourism industry in the past thirty years:

In 1978, the tourism industry began to transform from a "business-type" to an "industrial-type".

In 1984, the central government put forward the tourism construction policy that the country, local governments, departments, collectives, and individuals should work together, and rely on self-reliance and utilize foreign capital, which opened the prelude to the all-round development of the tourism industry.

In 1986, the State Council decided to include tourism into the national economic and social development plan, officially establishing its national economic status.

In 1992, the central government clearly stated that tourism is a key industry in the tertiary industry. Later, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed the "Outline of the Ninth Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development and the Long-term Goals for 2010" "Recommendations", tourism is ranked first in the sequence of emerging industries actively developing in the tertiary industry.

The 1998 Central Economic Work Conference proposed tourism as a new growth point for the national economy. Since then, the State Planning Commission has included tourism projects in national debt projects, and the railway department has launched hundreds of special tourist trains in a timely manner. The support of the central government and the State Council has laid a solid foundation for the development of tourism.

From the perspective of development stage, before 1980, the overall scale of the tourism industry was small; during the "Sixth Five-Year Plan" period, inbound tourism increased greatly and domestic tourism began to take off; during the "Seventh Five-Year Plan" period, Inbound tourism continues to develop, and domestic tourism has developed greatly; during the "Eighth Five-Year Plan" period, inbound tourism has developed greatly, and domestic tourism has risen rapidly. This period is the fastest development period. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period, the industrial foundation was solidified and developed steadily; in 2001, affected by the overall negative growth of the world tourism industry, China's tourism industry continued to move forward despite difficulties, but the growth rate declined; in 2002, China's tourism industry It is an overall rebound, with the growth rates of the four tourism economic indicators exceeding 10%. China has now become one of the countries with the fastest growing tourism industry in the world. In 1978, the number of international tourists received by China (1.8 million people) was only 0.7% of the world's total, ranking 41st in the world. In 2002, China received 97.91 million overseas tourists, making it the fifth largest tourist attraction country in the world and the first tourist country in Asia. In 1978, China's international tourism foreign exchange earnings (US$260 million) accounted for only 0.038% of the world's total, ranking 47th in the world; in 2002, it increased to US$20.4 billion, accounting for 4.4% of the world's total, making it the world's fifth largest tourism foreign exchange earner. In 2002, the number of Chinese citizens going abroad reached 16.6023 million, an increase of 36.84% over the previous year, making it an eye-catching emerging tourist exporting country in Asia. In 2002, the number of domestic tourists in China reached 878 million, making it the domestic tourism market with the largest number, fastest growth rate and strongest potential in the world. The scale of China's tourism industry is also expanding. According to incomplete statistics, as of the end of 2001, there were 11,000 foreign-related tourism hotels in China, of which 8,018 were rated star hotels; there were more than 10,000 travel agencies of various types, including more than 1,300 international travel agencies; the fixed asset value of China's tourism industry reached 700 billion Yuan, there are 260,000 tourism enterprises and institutions of various types in the country; 5.98 million people are directly employed in the tourism industry, and about 29.8 million people are indirectly employed; there are 1,152 colleges and universities offering tourism education in the country, with 340,000 students enrolled. people.

In short, my country's tourism industry has continued to develop rapidly for more than 20 years with the help of reform and opening up. From scratch, from small to large, the industry image has become increasingly clear, and the industry scale has continued to grow, becoming the fastest growing industry in the national economy. One of the fastest growing industries.

2. Analysis of opportunities and prospects for the development of China's tourism industry

1. Development opportunities

First of all, the sustained, rapid and healthy development of the national economy will push the tourism industry to new heights steps. In the first 10 years of the 21st century, the average annual growth rate of my country's national economy will remain above 7%, and the overall national strength will be further improved. The deepening of economic system reform, the development of opening up to the outside world, the overall economic and social progress, and the adjustment of industrial structure will all promote the development of tourism.

The second is the opportunities brought by building a moderately prosperous society in an all-round way. Comprehensively building a moderately prosperous society means that more than one billion people in our country will move towards a higher level of moderately prosperous society. Tourism demand will inevitably grow accordingly, and tourism consumption has become one of the symbols and characteristics of a moderately prosperous society. "The moderate prosperity our country has achieved now is still a low-level, incomplete, and very unevenly developed one." However, it is at this level of moderate prosperity that the world's largest domestic tourism market and the fastest-growing overseas tourism market have been formed. customer source market.

Third, the implementation of the Western Development Strategy will enable many world-class tourism resources in the West to be developed and transform resource advantages into economic advantages, thus continuously improving the international competitiveness and development of my country's tourism industry. stamina, forming a new growth pole for my country’s tourism industry.

Fourth, after joining the WTO, the tourism industry and related industries will accelerate the pace of integrating with international standards, the development environment will be further optimized, and it will also promote the growth of international business tourism.

Fifth, China is the safest tourist destination in the world. The "9.11" incident in the United States and the outbreak of the U.S.-Iraq war led to a decline in global tourism. However, China's political stability, sustained and rapid economic development, and a series of major measures implemented by the Chinese government have instead strengthened China's image as the safest tourist destination.

Sixth, China’s accession to the WTO, Beijing’s successful bid for the Olympic Games, Shanghai’s successful bid to host the World Expo, Hangzhou’s successful bid to host the 2006 World Leisure Expo, and the World Tourism Organization Conference in October 2003 will be held in Beijing for the first time, indicating that China Its international status and influence are increasing day by day, playing a positive role in promoting the development of China's tourism industry.

2. Prospect Analysis

With the comprehensive construction of a moderately prosperous society and the two-way interaction of supply and demand, China's tourism industry has a bright future.

(1) The tourism market has huge potential

With the increase in people's affluence, leisure time and disposable income, domestic tourism demand will grow at a relatively high rate. Our country is the most populous country in the world and has the largest source of domestic tourists unparalleled by any other country in the world. In 2002, it was equivalent to 8 out of 13 Chinese people taking a trip. Our country has implemented a 40-hour work week and two-day holiday system since May 1, 1995. In 1999, we began to implement the seven-day holidays for "May Day", "National Day", and the Spring Festival. Currently, the number of statutory rest days that Chinese citizens can enjoy every year is The total amount is 114 days, and residents have more and more leisure time. At the same time, the consumption structure is shifting from a subsistence-based one to a well-off one, and consumption is developing from survival consumption to enjoyment and development. The Engel coefficient is declining year by year. The Engel coefficient of urban and rural residents' consumption dropped from 49.9% and 58.6% in 1995 respectively. levels of 37.7% and 46.2% in 2002. Consumption such as housing, car purchases, and communications will gradually be satisfied, while travel needs, which are a combination of spiritual and material needs, will arise repeatedly. According to international experience, when per capita GDP reaches 800-1,000 US dollars, tourism consumption will become popular and universal and become one of the elements of life. By 2020, my country will build a moderately prosperous society in all respects. If each person travels twice a year, the number of domestic tourists by then will be as high as about 3 billion.

(2) China is endowed with unique tourism resources

China has a vast territory, beautiful mountains and rivers, a long history, splendid culture, and numerous ethnic groups. The long history and vast territory have formed extremely rich tourism resources. . According to research, my country ranks first in the world in terms of the number of natural and humanistic tourism resources, surpassing tourism powers such as the United States, Spain, and France. At present, there are more than 15,000 tourist attractions (spots) across the country, covering various aspects such as natural landscapes, history and culture, reform achievements, and social life. Among them, 28 are included in the "World Heritage List" and 151 are national key scenic spots. , 44 national geological parks, 197 national nature reserves, 439 national forest parks, 99 national historical and cultural cities, 360 national 4A-level tourist areas (spots), 137 outstanding tourist cities in China, and 1,269 national It is a key cultural relic protection unit with more than 2,000 museums of various types. The unique customs, colorful city scenery, majestic construction projects, etc. provide unique conditions and foundation for the development of tourism.

(3) From a major tourist country to the world Tourism Power

According to the basic ideas of the "Tenth Five-Year Plan" for tourism development formulated by the National Tourism Administration, by 2020, the number of overseas tourists in China will exceed 210 million, and the foreign exchange revenue from tourism will exceed US$58 billion. Domestic tourism will reach more than 2.9 billion people, and tourism revenue will reach more than 2.04 trillion yuan. The total tourism output will reach more than 2.5 trillion yuan, equivalent to an increase in the proportion of GDP to about 8%. Scholars at home and abroad are unanimously 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) have determined that China will become the world's top tourist destination in 2020 (see Table 2). The World Travel and Tourism Council predicts that by 2020, 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, close to the world average level.

3. Gap with the international tourism market

Although China’s tourism industry has made brilliant achievements in the past thirty years, there is still a big gap with the international tourism market. gap. The gap is mainly reflected in the software, not only in the service level and service quality of service personnel, but also in the imperfect marketing system, policy system, and incomplete laws and regulations.

For example, there are currently 49 well-known hotels in the world that have entered mainland China, but we have not yet had a brand manage or build a decent star-rated hotel overseas. This is the gap! "China still has a way to go on its way to becoming a world tourism power.

At present, China's tourism industry should start to improve service levels, improve service quality, optimize the marketing system, improve the environment, and establish a sound and reasonable policy system. This requires the joint efforts of the government, organizations, and citizens. In addition, it must also strengthen The cultivation of professional talents, including senior, mid-level, junior managers and general service personnel.

4. Analysis of Economic Benefits of the Tourism Market

According to the analysis of Philippe Bomberge, Chairman of the French Tourism Industry Association: “43% of the revenue of hotels, coffee shops and restaurants is the same as that of tourism. Directly related; 42% of air transport revenue is related to tourism, 23% of railway transport revenue, 12% of automobile revenue, 8% of agriculture, and 6% of construction industry are related to tourism.”

It is a highly comprehensive industry. Food, accommodation, transportation, travel, shopping and entertainment are the six major elements of tourism. We need to have food, shelter, access in and out, things to buy, and places to have fun. Therefore, the development of tourism will inevitably drive the development of industries such as catering, construction, transportation, postal and telecommunications, gardening, commerce, textiles, and insurance that are directly related to this factor.

According to Australian official statistics, tourism involves 108 industries in 29 economic sectors. Just take the construction industry as an example. More than ten years ago, it was a common phenomenon in many cities in my country to live in a hotel. At that time, it was good to have a place to live outside, and some even spent the night at the station. But in just a dozen years, by the end of 1998, there were 210,000 hotels of various types, about 4,000 foreign-related hotels, and more than 2,000 star-rated hotels in my country, including 45 five-star hotels, 117 four-star hotels, and nearly three-star hotels. There are more than 1,000 two-star and one-star hotels. There are so many places for tourists to stay and all the quality is different, it is no longer the same situation. During this period, the development of the construction industry can be imagined.

Oahu Island in Hawaii, USA, was a deserted beach before development. After it became a tourist area in the 1950s, tourist and commercial streets were built and densely populated the island. At present, the island has become a world-famous tourist area that receives about 4 million tourists from around the world every year. The development of the construction industry has also driven the supporting industries such as water, electricity, gas, heating, communications, etc., as well as the decoration, furniture, catering, sanitary products, etc. in hotels. The production of industry and required agricultural products will naturally follow suit. When it develops, its knock-on effects are huge.

Every time they visit a place, tourists always buy some souvenirs, local specialties, etc. to take back. That is, the “purchase” factor in tourism, the demand for commodities during tourism has driven the production and development of handicrafts, souvenirs and products with national characteristics. It is estimated that a tourist generally spends about 1/2 of the total travel expenses on shopping in a foreign country. The driving role of the development of tourism in related industries can be summed up in one sentence, that is, "one industry thrives and all industries prosper."

In addition to directly creating economic benefits, tourism can also increase social employment opportunities. As tourism promotes the development of many industries, it increases employment opportunities for the entire society. Tourism is a comprehensive industry that not only directly provides employment opportunities to the society, but also indirectly provides employment opportunities to the society. According to international customary calculations, the ratio of direct employment to indirect employment in the tourism industry is approximately 1:5. Each additional guest room in the tourism industry can directly provide 0.75 employment opportunities, and indirectly provide employment opportunities for 2.5 people in relevant departments (hotels, commerce, transportation industry). At present, the number of people working in the tourism industry in our city has reached 30,000 directly and 200,000 indirectly, accounting for one-fifth of the city's total population.

The tourism economy also has the function of poverty alleviation. Tourism is a quick-effective and permanent poverty alleviation development project. It can be seen from the development process of international and domestic tourism that the development speed of tourism is much faster than the development speed of various industries. Tourism only became an industry after World War II. In less than half a century, it rapidly developed into the world's largest industry. This kind of development speed is unmatched by any industry. Singapore and Thailand, which are close to our country, have developed into Asia's tourism powerhouses and world-famous tourist destinations after less than 20 years of hard work. Many tourist spots in my country's ethnic minority areas have also become popular in a very short period of time. For example, Xishuangbanna and Dehong in Yunnan, Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan, Zhangjiajie in Hunan, and Longgong in Guizhou only took a few years from development and publicity to becoming a hot spot. Beihai in Guangxi is faster. It has become hotter in just two or three years. In 1992, the number of tourists reached 1.5 million. Smaller tourist spots such as a hot spring and terraced fields in Longsheng; a section of the Beijiang River in Meltwater attracted more than 100,000 tourists each within one or two years of development. Due to people's strong desire to travel, the modernization of information transmission and the development of transportation, the developed tourist areas must have unique landscapes and rich content that can meet people's requirements, and the publicity work can reach thousands of households all over the world. You can achieve great results in a short period of time and turn it into a permanent source of wealth. Therefore, tourism is a short-term, flat, fast and permanent poverty alleviation development project.

Tourism is not harmful to the environment and can also create social and economic benefits, so it is hailed as a "smoke-free industry" by countries around the world. With the support of national policies and driven by the Olympic Games, China's tourism industry is still on the fast track of development and is heading towards the world. The development in recent years has been obvious, but problems still exist. In addition to improving service quality, we should also increase publicity, shape brand image, and create our own characteristics. We look forward to faster and better development of China’s tourism industry.