Tourism enters key phase of transformation amid new round of reform, opening-up

Amid a slowing economic growth, China’s tourism industry has entered a key phase of transformation and adjustments facing a new round of reform and opening-up, said an industry report released on Wednesday.

China’s economic development has been delivering highquality tourism, which is closely correlated with macroeconomic conditions and driven by rising fiscal revenues and disposable incomes.

However, the industry also faces opportunities and challenges, according to a green book on the sector released by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) on Wednesday.

In the past year, China’s tourism was characterized by institutional reform that combined cultural and tourism bureaus, mutually agreeable tourism cooperation between China and countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road initiative (BRI), high-speed railway routes, and the opening and development of South China’s Hainan island.

For example, trips from countries and regions along the BRI routes to China increased from 9.03 million in 2013 to 10.64 million in 2017. Chinese outbound trips to those markets rose from 15.49 million to 27.41 million in the five-year period since the BRI was proposed in 2013, with annual growth of 15.34 percent, according to the report.

Cooperation between China and those markets has continuously developed, and this has enhanced tourism facilities, in particular in such areas as tourism investment, market development and industrial support.

It is estimated that two-way trips will exceed 85 million by 2020, yielding tourism consumption worth around $110 billion.