China will be world top by 2030
Top source market to become biggest destination too but sustainability in question
China is seeing the world’s biggest tourism growth, with outbound trips set to reach 260 million by 2030. As well as becoming the biggest inbound market by 2030, domestic tourism is also taking off. And there will be 6.7 billion domestic trips by 2023, up from 4.7 billion in 2018.
It is now forecast that China will lead the world destination table in international tourism too by 2030.
Tourism has become a key pillar of the Chinese economy, and much investment has been made to improve infrastructure and standards, in addition to tourism-friendly policies and initiatives. However sustainable tourism still needs to be addressed says the World Economic Forum.
In the WEF’s 2017 index, China had moved up two places to be 15th in the rankings, with its exceptional natural and cultural resources to thank, as well as its increased international openness.
However, the report also noted China could enhance its competitiveness by doing more to "address environmental sustainability" (for which it ranked 132nd) and "to ensure the preservation of its unique natural resources".
China has since changed its approach to the travel industry and is moving towards sustainable tourism.
In 2017, China National Tourism Association set guidelines on ‘all-for-one’ tourism demonstration zones to encourage local governments to improve tourism competitiveness and service quality – to boost regional economies.
The country is now looking at conservation, diversity of cultures and the natural environment as important aspects of a cohesive tourism offering.
See also: weaponizing Chinese tourism https://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2034601
Download the WEF Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_TTCR_2017_web_0401.pdf
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