Tourism boom bloats China as destination

The Chinese National Tourist Office reported that for 2006, $33.5 million went into the coffers of the Chinese government from tourism alone and this cash was dropped by 124 million visitors.

China has become quite the popular destination all of a sudden; and this is not set to fizzle. It is estimated that by 2015 the country will be the top tourist destination in the world, with 200 million passports being stamped each year.

Aside form foreign nationals coming to discover the motherland, more and more Chinese are beginning to explore their own country. All this has created a demand for hotels and transport, and the question is whether or not Chinese infrastructure can handle this new wave of tourists.

The chairman of the China National Tourism Board, Shao Qiwei said, “We’re putting an emphasis on tourism so we can increase domestic consumption and increase living standards.” He also said to a conference in Hong Kong that the average American travels seven times per year on average, Chinese usually take only one trip per year.

So while vacations are becoming more common, the supply isn’t meeting the demand. With the Olympics set to take place in Beijing next year, the boom can only grow, and these issues must be dealt with if China is to capitalize on its new reputation as a hip destination.