The domestic travel sector in China

Abstract

China is already the largest domestic tourism market in the world. Chinese citizens made as many as 800 million overnight domestic trips in 2005. While travel is not a new concept in China, the disposable income they wield, the range of options becoming available and individual tastes are changing every day. This paper has two main objectives: (1) to detail the characteristics of the domestic Chinese traveler and, to a lesser extent, foreign inbound and Chinese outbound tourists; and (2) to explore the different drivers of tourism development and growth in China. Both sections are targeted at businesspeople and governments thinking about tourism-related business ventures, and at policymakers considering how best to stimulate tourism, consumption and economic gain. The Chinese people are eager to explore China - they will travel at home before going abroad. Tourism is not the exclusive purview of cosmopolitan urbanites; rural Chinese travel too. Chinese domestic tourists want overwhelmingly to visit natural landscapes when they travel. They also want more specialized and less visited destinations.

(cont.) They pay for lodging and spend as much on retail purchases as on lodging or food. Domestic Chinese business is the main driver of business travel in China The major drivers of tourism growth in China are: the rise of the middle class, expansion of business and trade, government policy, public infrastructure, private industry, Cooperative Tourism Zones, mega-events and conventions, and increased leisure time.