Slowdown forecast for China’s tourism industry
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Tourist arrivals into China is expected to grow by just 1.5% this year to reach the 2007 level of 132 million tourist arrivals, hit by a worldwide slump in the sector amid the global economic slowdown.
“All major inbound source markets, except for Hong Kong and Russia, slumped last year amid the economic downturn,” China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) head, Shao Qiwei, was quoted saying in a report in China Daily.
The fall in inbound arrivals last year to 130 million is also the first drop in the sector since 2003, according to official statistics.
“The inbound tourism sector is facing a considerable challenge this year,” Shao was quoted saying.
According to the report, many in the tourism industry are now banking on the domestic travel sector to get through the difficult year ahead. The number of trips made by domestic tourists this year is expected to grow year-on-year by 9% to 1.85 billion, according to the CNTA.
To meet the tourism targets, the administration is drafting a national tourism guideline to encourage workers to take annual paid leave from April to June and cut travel costs.
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