China's tourism industry is expected to notch up a new record
with the revenue hitting one trillion yuan this year, up ten percent from 2006,
Shao Qiwei, director of the National Tourism Administration, said Thursday.
China will receive 129 milli
on inbound visitors from overseas in 2007, five
million more than that last year. The number of tourists who will spend at least
one night in China is expected to jump to 53.6 million including 24 million
foreign visitors, said Shao at a national tourism meeting held in Jinan, capital
city of east China's Shandong Province.
The total revenue of foreign currency will reach 37 billion U.S. dollars,
an increase of ten percent, he said.
Domestic tourists are projected to take 1.5 billion trips across the
country, up eight percent, contributing 682 billion yuan of revenue, ten percent
more than last year.
Chinese will make 37.4 million travels outside the mainland, up 10 percent
from a year ago, he said.
The Chinese government has been encouraging the development of tourism to
stimulate stagnant domestic consumption.
The director urged local authorities to improve service quality and map out
effective policies to support the industry's development.
He said the administration will step up measures to improve management
during the Golden Week holidays and work out policies on paid leave system.
China earned 33.5 billion U.S. dollars from tourism last year, making the
country the sixth highest tourism revenue earner
globally.