[photopress:hotels_and_tourism_Kumtag_Desert_W_China.jpg,full,alignright]Chinese officials say they have the world’s largest domestic tourism market based upon number of travelers. And the World Trade Organization says China will probably become the number one international tourist destination by 2020.
It is interesting that although China’s attractions in China draw tourists from around the world the Chinese themselves constitute the bulk of the visitors in their own country. China’s National Tourist Office recorded more than a billion domestic travelers in 2006. That means the size of the domestic tourism industry in China has nearly doubled in this decade alone.
Chinese tourists are also seeking novel adventures. Some tourists have come to the desert on the outskirts of Dunhuang, an outpost of the ancient Silk Road. They are camel trekking, some 1800 kilometers from Beijing as shown in our illustration.
Tourist operator Zhou Haijun says more people want to feel the open spaces of nature. ‘Before, people liked comfortable conditions in hotels. Now there are more people who like to get closer to nature, get inside nature. This concept has come from people loving and caring for the environment.’
Source: Voice of America