CHINA: Guidelines On Sustainable Development Of Rural Tourism

New guidelines on the sustainable development of rural tourism have been released by the authorities in China.

The guidelines put forward five major measures, including strengthening planning to achieve coordinated regional development in rural tourism and improving infrastructure and public services.

The others are enhancing the quality of products and the level of service and management, innovative marketing, and paying more attention to the benefits of rural residents to help poverty alleviation via rural tourism.

The guidelines were released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Development and Reform Commission and 15 other departments.

They also put forward other supporting measures such as improving the mechanism for financial investment, and further guarantees for land use for rural tourism, among others.

According to Ning Zhizhong, chief designer of the tourism research center at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, around 70 percent of the country's tourism resources are in rural areas, proving that the potential for rural tourism is huge, and including rural tourism in regional social and economic development is significant to the prosperity of rural industries.

The guideline will help create a win-win situation where the rural population leads better-off lives, investors are granted their due rewards, and the rural environment keeps improving, said Wu Liyun, an associate researcher at the China Tourism Academy.

CHINA: Meeting Emphasizes Social Responsibility In Culture And Tourism

More than 500 tourism corporation representatives, experts and government officials recently gathered in Beijing for a forum to discuss tourism companies' social responsibility in the integration of culture and tourism.

It was co-hosted by China Tourism Academy and China Tourism Association.

Keynote speakers exchanged views with each other, looked at previous achievements in the tourism industry since China's reform and opening-up in 1978, as well as looking forward to the future.

Official data shows that, until the end of 2017, China boasted about 27,900 travel agencies, more than 30,000 scenic areas, and 457,800 accommodation service providers.

Last year, overseas tourist visits to China reached 139 million, representing an increase of 0.8 percent over 2016, while 5 billion domestic tourists enjoyed the nation's attractions.

Luo Shugang, minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, said in his speech that over the past four decades, China has experienced great development of its tourism, which plays a more and more important role in the economic development of society.

He said the tourism industry has become a road to prosperity for farmers and helps rejuvenate the economy in rural areas.

China Tourism Academy's head, Dai Bin, said it's essential to boost the innovation of academic theories and research about tourism, and train more talents for the industry.

A supervisory mechanism is also needed to ensure tourists' rights and enhance their travel experience.


Tourism Observer

CHINA: Chinese tourists Spent 258 Billion US Dollars On International Tourism In 2017

China continues to lead global outbound travel, according to a report published by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

Titled - The UNWTO Tourism Highlights 2018 Edition, the report noted that Chinese tourists spent 258 billion US dollars on international tourism in 2017, almost one-fifth of the world's total tourism spending.

According to the report, overall international tourist arrivals grew by seven percent to 1,323 million in 2017, the largest rise since 2010.

The growth in arrivals was echoed by a strong increase in exports generated by tourism, which reached 1.6 trillion US dollars in 2017.

The UNWTO explained that the 2017 results were driven by sustained travel demand for destinations across all world regions, including a firm recovery by those that have suffered from security challenges in recent years.

The organization also highlighted how the economic recovery of economies such as Brazil and Russia benefited both advanced and emerging destinations.

France remained the most popular tourist destination with Spain moving into second place, while Japan moved into the top ten earners from tourism after six straight years of double-digit growth.

Available data for early 2018 has confirmed international tourism continues to grow this year with a six percent year-on-year increase for the first four months of the year.

Chinese tourists visited domestic attractions over 2.8 billion times in the first half of 2018, up 11.4 percent year-on-year, according to a report released Wednesday by the China Tourism Academy.

The report said urban residents accounted for almost 2 billion visits, an increase of 13.7 percent compared with the same period last year, while residents from the countryside paid about 800 million visits, up 6.3 percent.

The revenue generated by domestic tourism was 2.45 trillion yuan (358 billion US dollars), a rise of 12.5 percent, the figures show.

Red tourism, which refers to activities and locations related to the Communist Party of China, has seen a boom over the past six months, according to the report.

Visits to the 436 registered scenic spots that highlight the nation's revolutionary history hit a record high of 484 million, up 4.83 percent year-on-year. Revenue reached over 25 billion yuan, a near 6 percent increase.

The outbound tourism market also saw growth in the first half, with trips to Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as well as foreign destinations reaching over 70 million, up 15 percent year-on-year.

The total number of China's domestic and inbound tourist trips will surpass 5.1 billion this year, up by more than 11 percent from 2016, a report showed Wednesday.

Tourism revenue this year will be more than 5.3 trillion yuan (about 802 billion US dollars), up 13 percent from a year earlier, according to a report jointly released by the China Tourism Academy and the data center of the China National Tourism Administration.

In 2016, the overall contribution of tourism to the national economy stood at 11 percent, with total tourism revenue up 13.6 percent to 4.69 trillion yuan.

With the fast expansion of tourism, China has become the world's largest source of outbound tourists and the fourth largest destination of inbound tourists.

In the first three quarters this year, the number of domestic tourists rose 13.17 percent year on year, with revenue from domestic tourism surging 16.55 percent.

The report forecast that China's tourism revenue would be more than 6 trillion yuan in 2018.


Tourism Observer

CHINA: Argentina And Jerusalem Say Chinese Tourists Are Okay

Chinese tourists may have a reputation for appalling manners but they are still viewed positively by some foreigners, according to a new survey.

State-owned China Radio International and the China Tourism Academy polled 1,264 residents from 23 countries and regions between March and August on their views of Chinese tourists.

Up to 23 per cent of the interviewees said littering was the “most striking form of misbehaviour” of mainland Chinese tourists, followed by jaywalking (17 per cent) and defecating in public (10 per cent), cutting queues and talking loudly, the survey said.

The survey, published on Tuesday in Beijing, said cultural differences and a lack of civility were the main reasons for the etiquette failures.

Chinese tourists were most popular among people from Argentina and Jerusalem, with all the interviewees in both places having a positive view of Chinese travellers.

However, they were less popular closer to home – only 8 per cent of interviewees from Macau said mainland tourists were welcome and 61 per cent from Mongolia agreed that the number of Chinese tourists should be “restricted”.

Different perceptions of manners, culture and traditions were three easy triggers for conflict between Chinese tourists and local residents, the report said.

“It’s similar to a romantic relationship,” academy director Dai Bin said. “As more Chinese flock to nearby countries for holidays, their imperfections are easily amplified.”

Foreigners were growing more aware of the shopping power of Chinese tourists, the report said, with 24 per cent of the interviewees saying that Chinese tourists looked at their best when they were shopping.

The survey also found that enjoying local culture, shopping and taking photographs were regarded as the three top “love-to-do” things among Chinese tourists.

Foreigners also believed that mainland tourists preferred to visit scenic spots in cities rather than going on adventure and ecological tours to countryside areas of natural beauty.

The number of Chinese travelling both domestically and abroad for leisure has soared in recent years, boosted by rising incomes and easier access to passports and visas.

According to the academy, Chinese tourists will make 120 million trips and spend 1.1 trillion yuan (HK$1.3 trillion) abroad this year.

Chinese tourists are also the frequent targets of complaints, prompting the China National Tourism Administration to launch a blacklist this year.