China has the potential to become one of the world's great tourism economies, according to a recent report, with strong increases likely in inbound, domestic and outbound travel. The number of inbound tourists and business travellers is expected to grow 22 per cent a year between 2004 and 2013.
The report by the World Travel and Tourism Council and Oxford Economist Forecasting said the central government has done much to improve the tourism structure, but its most difficult challenge now is to manage the projected growth. It added that the industry requires an overhaul of its tourism administration and a new vision of openness and co-operation between the public and private sectors.Only then will government structures, agencies and officials be able to cope with fast-paced developments in the sector.
A separate report conducted by the World Tourism Administration predicted that China would surpass France to become the world's most popular tourist destination by 2020.