CHINAdaily.com.cn, dec 6th 2006
China must improve infrastructure and services, as well as offer visas upon arrival, to develop a thriving travel industry and enjoy its economic benefits, a top global tourism expert said on Tuesday.Beijing should also spread out holidays to avoid the mad rush caused by the three "golden weeks" off every year when hundreds of millions of people take to the roads, rails and air, said the head of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). "There is a strong appeal to go to China. The country is intriguing. It has a 5,000-year history, which is the best marketing campaign someone could ever do for a country," WTTC President Jean-Claude Baumgarten said in an interview.
Last year China received more than 17 million tourists -- excluding visitors from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau -- according to Chinese government figures. "Will that figure become 70 million or 80 million in 2020 or 2025. The potential is here.
It all will depend on the infrastructure," Baumgarten told Reuters at a luxury hotel in Beijing's central business district. To boost tourism, China needs to build more roads, improve the standard of spoken English, make sure credit cards can be more widely used in a cash-dominant economy and bring in foreign expertise to improve management of the industry.
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