Years on

On Nov 21, 2004, the first World Tourism Marketing Summit opened in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, as seen in the item from China Daily. It aimed to enhance cooperation between China and the world.

As the world’s fastest-growing tourism market, China’s tourism sector has developed Editor’s note: This year marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening-up policy. rapidly since the country joined the United Nations World Tourism Organization in 1983. Tourism has grown from a marginal to a major sector during the past three and a half decades.

The sector accounts for more than 10 percent of the country’s economy and employment.

Chinese travelers are making their presence felt around the globe. Last year, Chinese tourists accounted for more than 130 million visits, representing a year-on-year growth of 7 percent, according to the China Tourism Academy.

In the next five years, Chinese tourists are estimated to make 700 million outbound trips.

Chinese travelers have also become the top spenders over the years, and accounted for approximately one-fifth of the total consumption by global outbound travelers, according to the UN World Tourism Organization.

Inbound tourism numbers are also on the rise with the number of trips reaching 139 million.

A series of preferential policies such as tax refunds and visa waivers have been implemented in many big cities including Beijing and Haikou, Hainan province, to boost inbound tourism. “The video, they say, was clearly captured by a drone. And in it, they saw the work of an irresponsible drone operator who, in trying to film the bears, drove them into a dangerous situation that almost cost the cub its life.” Margarita Pazmany, a lecturer in unmanned aerial vehicles at Liverpool John Moores University in the United Kingdom, suggested that drone operators avoid flying at animals head-on, as this is thought to be most threatening, National Geographic reported.