Top Ten News of Chinese Tourism Industry in 2015
1. Acting in line with the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping, launching a nationwide revolution of tourist toilet
As an important measure of the “515” strategy for promoting tourism development, the “tourist toilet revolution” has become a gigantic tourism infrastructure project, civility project and livelihood project in the urban-rural public service sector. Over the next three years since 2015, 57,000 tourist toilets will be built, upgraded and expanded.
2. China’s Travel & Tourism Sector Contributes over 10% of GDP and 10% of Total Employment
In 2015, China records over 4 billion domestic tourist visits and 120 million outbound tourist visits, with the tourism receipts exceeding 4 trillion yuan. China’s domestic travels, outbound tourist visits, domestic tourism consumptions and outbound tourism consumptions all rank top of the world. WTTC estimates that the total contribution of travel & tourism sector to China’s GDP will be 10.1%, exceeding that of education, banking and automobile industries. National Tourism Data Center estimates that the travel & tourism sector supports 10.2% of total employment of the country.
3. President Xi Jinping attended the China-Japan Friendly Exchange Conference and delivered an important speech during the visit of a 3,000-member Japanese tourism delegation in China
On May 23, President Xi Jinping attended the China-Japan Friendly Exchange Conference and delivered an important speech at the Great Hall of the People. Vice Premier Wang Yang and State Councilor Yang Jiechi also attended the conference. The visit of the 3,000-member Japanese tourism delegation led by Mr. Tosihiro Nikai, General Council Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to China showed that the tourism diplomacy has played a unique role in boosting the interactions and emotional exchanges between the people and serving the country’s overall diplomatic agenda.
4. “China Tourism Year” was held successfully in ROK with President Xi Jinping and President Park Geun-hye sending letters of congratulation, and Premier Li Keqiang and Speaker of the National Assembly of the ROK Chung Ui-hwa attending the closing ceremony
Within the framework of the “China Tourism Year” in 2015, China has successfully launched over 120 campaigns, making a breakthrough of 10 million visits in two-way tourism exchanges between China and the ROK. Vice Premier Wang Yang attended the opening ceremony.
5. On July 28, the Several Opinions on Further Promoting Tourism Investment and Consumption was adopted by the Executive Meeting of the State Council presided over by Premier Li Keqiang, in which the tourism investment promotional plan was clearly put forward for the first time
The document is of great importance as a milestone for promoting the sustained and healthy development of tourism industry, stabilizing growth, adjusting economic structure and boosting employments.
6. Carrying out the One Belt and One Road initiative, holding the Year of Silk Road Tourism
On June 19, the Tourism Ministerial Meeting of Countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 7th UNWTO International Meeting on Silk Road Tourism was successfully held in Xi’an. UNWTO Secretary General Taleb Rifai and tourism ministers of countries along the Silk Road attended the meeting.
7. “Tourism+” Action Plan was issued to foster new driving force for economic development
To make full use of the driving and integration function of tourism and provide a platform for the development of relative industries and sectors, “Tourism + Internet” Action Plan is proposed to generate 1 trillion RMB demand dividends, 1 trillion RMB market dividends and 1 trillion RMB value-added dividends. The development of tourism aims to promote new-type urbanization, new-type industrialization, Internet and IT application, agricultural modernization and ecological development.
8. Record of indecent tourist behaviors was established to enhance regulation on tourism civility
On May 4, the CNTA released the first round of indecent tourist behaviors records, and thus established the mechanism of “record of indecent tourist behaviors”, so as to lay an institutional foundation to enhance the supervision and regulation of ill-behaved tourists.
9. Life-tenure of 5A scenic spots was abolished to activate the dynamic management mechanism for scenic spots
On October 9, Shanhaiguan Scenic Spot in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province was deprived of its 5A rating, another 6 scenic spots with 5A rating received serious warning, and 4 scenic spots was deprived of 4A rating. Thus, 5A rating status has no longer been life-long. The action has caught nationwide attention.
10. Tourism has become a major method of poverty alleviation as rural tourism lifted tens of millions of people out of poverty
On August 18, the CNTA and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development held the National Meeting on Rural Tourism Upgrading and Poverty Alleviation through Tourism in Huangshan, Anhui Province, during which it was proposed to lift 17% of the total impoverished population (about 12 million) out of poverty through rural tourism, so as to fully realize the strategic role of rural tourism in poverty alleviation and development.
