Tourism in China

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tourists in the Forbidden City , Beijing
Norwegian tourists at the Temple of Heaven

The tourism in China is of great economic importance as the international arrivals by 2000 are extremely increased to 2016, and thus the revenue from the tourism . While these were still at 17.318 billion US dollars (approx. 14.796 billion euros) in 2000, they rose to 44.432 billion US dollars (approx. 37.966 billion euros) by 2016.

As in previous years, the People's Republic of China was the fourth most visited country in 2017. In 2017, it was estimated that by 2020 the country will become the number one most visited country. Between 2015 and 2016, the number of overnight stays increased by 4.2%. Also in the first half of 2017, tourism activity in China increased by 2.4% compared to 2016. Reasons for the increase in tourism are, for example, simplified visa regulations or the increased commitment of the government in the field of tourism.

The tourism industry's contribution to GDP was 11% in 2017. That is 1349.3 billion US dollars (approx. 1153 billion euros). Strong growth is also forecast for the following years. The share of tourism in the job distribution is 10.3%. In addition, Chinese overseas tourism has been growing since tourism development was made a national economic destination in 2009. This market was opened up even further in 2011 when Outbund licenses were granted to the three foreign travel companies TUI , Japan Travel Bureau and American Express.

history

Richard Nixon's historic encounter with Mao Zedong

During the Maoist period between 1943 and 1976, private travel in China was not highly regarded. However, an international travel agency was set up in 1954 to take care of incoming delegations from the USSR and other Eastern Bloc countries . From 1964, the then Prime Minister Zhou Enlai set up an administrative authority for tourism, which, however, was only active until the proclamation of the Cultural Revolution , in the context of which tourism generally had a bad reputation.

A new phase of tourism began in 1972 with the visit of the then US President s Richard Nixon . After this visit, the tourism administration was rebuilt. In China, a culture-revolutionary tourism developed according to the ideas of the Gang of Four . With the disempowerment of this group and the opening of China by Deng Xiaoping , tourism in China could be expanded. Hotel and infrastructure projects were part of the development of the tourism industry. New professions emerged and the training of service staff was promoted. In 1978, an estimated 1.8 million tourists entered China, the majority of them from Hong Kong , Macau and Taiwan . In 2000 over 10 million tourists came in, not counting the areas just mentioned.

With the emergence of a strong middle class in China, Chinese tourism to other countries became popular in the late 1990s; the Chinese government relaxed international travel conditions. Chinese domestic and foreign tourism is also developing positively in the new millennium. By joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001 and hosting the Olympic Games in 2008 , China demonstrated a new openness. This had a positive effect on the further expansion of the tourism industry.

Inbound traffic

Inbound traffic has developed in China especially since Deng Xiaoping's opening reforms from 1978 onwards. Nevertheless, in the first few years only educational trips or political visits were allowed. It was not until 1982 that tourism was declared an economic activity. In 1986 tourism was included in the National Plan for Social and Economic Development. In the context of these developments, inbound traffic in China increased extremely. In 1978, 229,000 foreigners entered China. In 2000 there were already 10 million. In 2016 there were 28 million, for 2017 a growth in inbound tourism of 3.5% was forecast. In 2016, 4.76 million travelers to China came from South Korea , it was the largest group. Japan and the United States came in second and third . Germany was in 14th place.

Outbound traffic

Tourism is also becoming more and more popular among the Chinese due to rising incomes and simplified visa regulations. In 2017, the Chinese made 130.5 million trips, 7% more than the previous year. China is the largest source of tourists for 10 nations, including countries like Thailand , Japan, and South Korea . Since 2014, China has overtaken the US as the largest overseas tourism market. In 2014, the Chinese spent a total of 124 billion US dollars (approx. 106 billion euros) on international tourism. 85% of Chinese tourism moves towards each country's major tourist destinations as group tours are very popular. Europe is a popular travel destination for the Chinese. In 2015, 12 million Chinese visited at least one destination in Europe. Most destinations are preferred in Western Europe , where around half of all arrivals from China to Europe are recorded. In 2014, France , Italy and Germany were in the first three places. An average trip cost between 1500 and 3000 euros. About a third of that amount was spent on purchases.

Political and diplomatic influences

Where Chinese tourists play a significant economic role in travel destinations, they can be used as leverage by the Chinese government. This can be seen in the example of South Korea, where affluent Chinese tourists stayed away after a US missile defense system was supposed to be stationed there. The tourism industry in South Korea was hit hard as a result, including the Lotte Group's stores , which specialize in the sale of duty-free goods. The group had agreed to make land available for the missile defense system, as a result of which numerous Lotte stores in China had to close.

Inbound traffic to China is also affected by political influences. For example, given the conflicting situation between Japan and China, the number of Japanese tourists to China fell by 19% between 2004 and 2014.

Economical meaning

Tourism plays an important role for the Chinese economy as it stimulates trade enormously with new potential customers who increase the demand . Between 1978 and 1998, the income from inbound traffic increased from 0.26 billion US dollars (approx. 0.22 billion euros) to 12.6 billion US dollars (approx. 10.8 billion euros). This also applies to Chinese domestic tourism. It increases enormously, especially on certain holidays, and has positive effects on the Chinese economy, even if the income from Chinese is lower than that from foreigners. The spending of the Chinese on travel within China was estimated at 62 billion euros at the Spring Festival 2018. In 2016, the income from foreign tourists was $ 44 billion (approx. 37.6 billion euros). In 2015, China had a 8.1% share of world tourism. That was 114.109 billion US dollars (approx. 99.5 billion euros).

Tourist destinations

City tourism

Imperial Palace in Beijing

When Hong Kong and Macau are included, some Chinese cities are among the top ten most visited cities in the world. In 2015, Macau was number 5 with 15.4 billion visitors and Shenzhen was number 9 with 12.6 billion visitors. The number of visitors to these cities is so high as the flow of visitors from mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau is included. On the one hand, Shenzhen offers a transit point for tourists on their way to Hong Kong. On the other hand, this city is also a technology center and an important business location, which makes Shenzhen a point of arrival for numerous business travelers. The classic tourist destinations include Shanghai , Beijing , Xi'an and Hangzhou , among others .

Nature tourism

Jiuzhaigou

Tourists who want to admire China's nature are offered a variety of options. Due to the size of the country, it is possible to visit different landscapes. These include landscapes that are dominated by the rainforest . But deserts or mountain landscapes are also present.

Over two thirds of the Chinese mainland consist of mountainous and hilly landscapes and three quarters of the mainland are higher than 500 meters above sea ​​level . There are some natural parks , such as the Jiuzhaigou and Huanglong National Park or the Huangshan and Wulingyuan Mountains.

Cultural tourism

Crowds of visitors on the Great Wall

China's history has left behind some cultural treasures that lend themselves to being a tourist destination. A famous example is the Great Wall of China . The most visited section of the wall is called Badaling . In 2001, 63 million people visited this part of the wall. Another example is the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is the largest palace complex in the world. A trend in cultural tourism is towards the rural provinces, where numerous minorities follow their traditions . Especially Chinese from large and populous cities are drawn there. However, some of these places are no longer quiet and idyllic since the government invested money in their development, as can be seen in the village of Zhaoxing in southern China's Guizhou Province .

Tourist infrastructure

As the tourist demand in China has increased in the last few decades, the roads leading to the main tourist attractions will be rehabilitated from 2016 to 2020. In the future, emission-free travel is to be strengthened by expanding interregional cycle paths . In particular, the poor condition of the sanitary facilities should be improved. Therefore, 100,000 toilets are to be built and modernized at the attractions. A total of 272 billion euros are to be invested in expanding the tourist infrastructure . The planned measures are intended to make Chinese tourist attractions more attractive to tourists and thus stimulate the economy.

literature

  • Chris Ryan (ed.), Songshan (Sam) Huang (ed.) (2013) "Tourism in China: Destinations, Planning and Experiences, Aspects of Tourism", Channel View Publications, ISBN 1-84541-403-9 , 9781845414030. (Length: 344 pages)
  • Tisdell Clement A, Wen Julie Jie (2001) "Tourism And China's Development- Policies, Regional Economic Growth & Ecotourism", World Scientific, ISBN 981-4492-31-0 , 9789814492317. (Length: 420 pages)
  • David Airey, King Chong (2011) "Tourism in China: Policy and Development Since 1949, Contemporary Geographies of Leisure, Tourism and Mobility ", Routledge, ISBN 1-136-74956-X , 9781136749568. (Length: 334 pages)
  • Zhang, Hanqin Qiu; Pine, Ray; Lam, Terry (2005) "Tourism and Hotel Development in China - From Political to Economical Success", Routledge, ISBN 978-1-136-39328-0 . (Length: 312 pages)

Individual evidence

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