Tourism Market
Thanks to its high mountains, elegant rivers, springs and waterfalls, rich and varied folk customs and styles, rare animals and plants, numerous scenic spots and historical sites, distinctive operas, music and dances, and its world-renowned cuisine, China attracts a large number of domestic and foreign tourists every year. Today, China has one of the largest domestic tourism markets in the world and an outbound tourism market with the highest rate of growth in the world.
In 2003, the major economic index of China's tourism experienced the first decrease since the 1990s. The outbreak of SARS is the direct cause for the heavy losses in China's tourism. Starting from May 1, 2003, the Ministry of Finance, the State Taxation Administration and other related departments took measures to reduce or exempt taxes, and to issue subsidized loans to tourism and other related trades. The practice lasted till the end of 2003. In the third season after the SARS crisis was over, the domestic tourism market quickly began to pick up, and the incoming tourist trade also resumed. By the end of September, the number of incoming tourists increased 2.17 percent over the same period of 2002, turning the tide of six-month-decrease starting in March 2003. As of October, the number of incoming tourists surpassed that of the same period in the previous year, so tourism income began to increase.
Tourist Services
Helping to guide visitors to many fine Chinese hotels and restaurants and other tourism services are some 1,349 travel agencies that handle China's international travel business -- among which 248 are located in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing. In a country with some 8,880 star-rated hotels, China in all its large and medium-sized cities and tourist sites has hotels with complete facilities and excellent services for both domestic and international tourists.
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