ABSTRACT
As the world enters a new millennium, China is emerging as a major player in regional and global tourism, in terms of both inbound and outbound tourism. According to World Tourism Organization (WTO) statistics for 1999, China ranked fifth in international arrivals with 27 million, an increase of 8 percent over 1998. In its 2020 Vision report, the WTO forecast that China would be the number one tourism destination and the fourth ranked tourist-generating country in the world by 2020, with 137 million international visitor arrivals and 100 million outbound tourists. The China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) announced that 1999 saw its visitor arrivals, including visitors from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, reaching a record of 72.8 million and international tourism receipts of US$14.1 billion (CNTA, 2000a). Despite the differences in the way the WTO and CNTA compile their statistics, one can conclude that tourism growth in China has been spectacular. Based on CNTA statistics, during the twenty-year period from 1978 to 1998, China’s visitor arrivals increased at an annual average rate of 22 percent and its international tourism receipts at 23 percent (Qian, 1999a). Along with this growth in arrivals, China has seen a fast increase in the number of travel agencies (Table 9.1) and their revenues (Table 9.2).
