Tourism Abounds by Air, Road and Rail

The National Day holiday sees an unexpected surge in travel as the Chinese tourism industry grows and expands in line with overall economic recovery

Nearly one year after the bottoming-out economy caused potential sightseers to cancel their travel plans, tourists are once again reaching for their cameras and suitcases as China's tourism market seems to be recovering sooner than expected. Train tickets became more difficult to acquire, and airlines began to discontinue special discounts in the run-up to the National Day holiday, the busiest travel week of the year.

As early as September, some of the most popular domestic tour routes were sold out. This year Beijing, Sanya, Xiamen, Guilin and Qingdao ranked among the hottest travel destinations, according to data from Ctrip.com, a major online travel company headquartered in Shanghai.

The tourism boom comes as a surprise, even among industry insiders. "The market turns out to be much better than we had expected," said Dun Jidong, General Manager of the China Travel Service Head Office Co. Ltd., one of the country's top three travel agencies.

"Given the looming economic downturn and the impact of the A/H1N1 virus, we were less optimistic," he said. "But now, the market is burning hot, and we regret not having booked more seats on our flights."

In early September, the China Tourism Academy (CTA) predicted that the number of domestic tourists during the National Day holiday would increase 13 percent year on year to reach 200 million. The number, considered a wild exaggeration then, is turning out to be an obvious miscalculation as the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) estimates the number of travelers to be much greater than the anticipated 200 million.

In addition, railway operators have stepped up vigorous efforts to meet the growing tourist traffic demand. From September 28 to October 8, a total of 33 newly added temporary passenger trains were put into operation to bridge popular tourist cities, including Zhangjiajie of Hunan Province, Shenzhen of Guangdong Province and Kunming of Yunnan Province.

The Ministry of Railways and local operators have additionally taken measures to strengthen its passenger services, including a 24-hour hotline for inquiries and complaints. A number of back-up trains were also prepared for emergency purposes.

Government incentives

The domestic travel market is bound to maintain a rapid growth, though reverberations from the financial crisis is yet to vanish, Dai Bin, Deputy Director of the CTA, told Beijing Review. The growth has been largely attributable to powerful government incentives that sparked Chinese tourists' interest, he said.

This year, relevant government departments have reinforced promotional efforts while implementing a number of tourism programs across the country that have proven to be effective in fueling the travel rush, he added.

The CNTA, for example, recently announced a joint effort with the Ministry of Culture to facilitate the promotion of the cultural tourism business. The two departments will hold an annual cultural tourism festival and seek to entice private investors into the travel market, according to the announcement.

Local governments are also highly motivated to promote the tourism sector and reap the economic benefits that an increased flow of tourists will bring. A dozen provinces, including Hainan and Guangdong, have allocated resources to drastically improve their natural landscapes and recreational facilities to attract tourists.

The northwest Xinjiang Uygur Autono-mous Region, for instance, promoted travel deals that gave a 50-percent discount to room charges of star hotels and ticket prices of scenic spots in the region. In addition, the local government launched a massive promotional campaign around the country.

The wide array of promotional efforts are paying off as the local tourism market tries to shake off a decrease in tourist numbers caused by the July 5 riot. According to the local government, the number of visitors to the Kanas Lake, Tianchi Lake and Grape Valley in the region has recovered to 40 percent that of the same period last year.

In Shanghai, tourism promotion has experienced a noticeable increase as well. The Shanghai Tourism Administrative Commission has teamed up with 28 domestic banks to issue tour cards, which give travelers discounts at local hotels and scenic spots. To further polish its appeal to inbound tourists, the city plans to issue the cards in the United States, Europe, South Korea and Japan next year.

The massive campaign to make traveling more attractive is not unwarranted, as the tourism sector produces a multiplier effect to bolster the broader economy, said Dai Bin. The travel fever has injected steam into a string of relevant industries, such as catering, hotels and transportation, and will continue to do so, he added.

Tourism revenues nationwide from January to June this year added up to 497.9 billion yuan ($72.8 billion), representing .