Report Released丨"2018 Tourism Economic Operation Review" Series Report (VI): Tourism Service Quality Development

On January 21, the China Tourism Academy (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) released the "2018 Tourism Economic Operation Review Series Report (VI): Tourism Service Quality Development". The report shows that in 2018, the national tourism service quality comprehensive evaluation index was 77.91, an increase of 2.50% year-on-year, the highest since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Tourist satisfaction has become a weather vane for development quality and a baton for local governments to develop all-round tourism and cultural tourism integration. Make good use of the results of tourist satisfaction surveys and implement the people-centered development concept and development ideas in all work.

1. Development of tourism service quality in 2018

Based on tourists' satisfaction and sense of gain, under the guidance of policies such as global tourism, civilized tourism, and toilet revolution, in 2018, various indicators such as domestic tourism public services, industry services, and development environment quality continued to be optimized, the tourism industry actively moved towards high-quality tourism, and the quality of national tourism services was steadily rising. Data shows that the comprehensive evaluation index in 2018 was 77.91, a year-on-year increase of 2.50%. Among them, the quality of domestic tourism and outbound tourism services maintained a steady upward trend, increasing by 4.19% and 2.33% year-on-year respectively; the quality of inbound tourism services remained high, bottomed out in 2018, but still decreased by 9.09% year-on-year. The China Tourism Academy (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) has been conducting quarterly surveys on the quality of tourism services for domestic tourists, outbound tourists, and inbound tourists in my country for ten consecutive years. Tourists' satisfaction and sense of gain have become a weather vane for high-quality development.

1. Tourism destinations are becoming new spaces where hosts and guests can share a better life

A better life is becoming a new driving force for high-quality tourism, and tourist satisfaction is increasingly becoming a consensus in tourism development concepts and industry practices. Tourism authorities, the tourism industry, and tourism media have always paid close attention to tourists' sense of gain, happiness, and satisfaction during travel. From 2011 to 2018, the number of news and information related to tourist satisfaction in Baidu Index reached 36 per day on average, accounting for 19% of the overall attention paid to satisfaction. Based on people's yearning for a better life shared by hosts and guests, domestic tourist destinations are increasingly rooted in the exploration and improvement of local residents' lifestyles and the creation of shared life scenes, and are actively creating a new space for a better life with warmth and connotation.

2. Culture, creativity and technology bring new impetus to the improvement of tourism services

As the demand for quality, personalization and leisure tourism consumption steadily increases, tourism groups, industrial investment institutions and entrepreneurial enterprises actively adapt to market changes, constantly adjust business models, continuously innovate and improve service quality, pay more attention to the integration and innovation of tourism with culture, creativity and technology, and create leisure spaces that are popular with local residents and tourists. Cultural experience tourism, integration of technological innovation, creative development of tourism enterprises, and entrepreneurial enthusiasm from all walks of life have jointly formed a new driving force for improving the quality of tourism services.

3. High-quality tourism services effectively promote the development of the inbound tourism market

As the inbound tourism market steadily enters the recovery channel, the rise of the country's comprehensive strength and the high quality of tourism services have become a new driving force for the development of inbound tourism. More and more tourists to China have begun to choose developed cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Chengdu, Chongqing as their destinations. Many tourists also come to China for shopping, leisure, vacation, study, and medical treatment. Data shows that in 2018, the satisfaction of inbound tourists continued to maintain a high level of around 80 points, far higher than the expectations before entering the country. Foreign tourists have a high evaluation of China's degree of modernization, informationization, catering, scenic spots, travel agencies, etc., and the evaluation of the possibility of revisiting and recommending relatives and friends in the future is also at a high level.

4. Outbound tourists are highly satisfied with tourism service quality and destinations

In 2018, Chinese outbound tourists were highly satisfied with both the quality of tourism services and the overall satisfaction with the destination countries. The comprehensive evaluation index of outbound tourism service quality was 77.81, up 2.33% year-on-year. Australia, Russia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, and Japan ranked at the top in terms of satisfaction. From the perspective of consumption behavior, outbound tourists' demand for experiencing the lifestyle of local people is gradually increasing. Travel consumption is shifting from "shopping" to leisure consumption. The scope and frequency of cultural participation in museums, art galleries, science and technology museums are increasing. Recreational activities such as nature exploration, outdoor sports, and urban leisure have attracted much attention.

5. Tourist satisfaction has become a long-term work tool for improving the quality of local tourism services

The 2018 tourist destination tourism service quality evaluation index shows that the overall service level, destination image, and overall evaluation of the destination have increased significantly year-on-year. The number of cities with a satisfaction level of above 80 points has increased significantly, and the number of cities with a satisfaction level of above 75 points has increased significantly. More than 70%, only about 3% of the sample cities are below 70 points. Tourists' feelings about the overall image of the tourist destination, their experience of industry window services, their evaluation of the quality and attitude of urban residents, and their understanding of the city's natural and cultural resources can provide supporting information for comprehensively grasping the level of tourism development and for studying and judging tourism development. The situation provides a basis for improving the quality of local tourism services and provides an improvement direction.

(VI) Tourist satisfaction is generally transformed into the core orientation of improving the quality and efficiency of the tourism industry

In 2018, the service quality of the tourism window industry remained stable, with high scores in scenic spots, public services, transportation, entertainment, and catering services. The evaluation of transportation, catering, scenic spots, entertainment, and public services has improved to varying degrees, and the comprehensive tourism service system has been continuously improved. The multi-dimensional evaluation system of tourist satisfaction provides tourism management departments with a higher position and more comprehensive perspective, sorting out the circulation of factor resources and information, products, and business cooperation between tourism departments and industries, assisting management departments to predict and respond to tourists' needs in destination tourism in a timely manner, and comprehensively improving the quality of travel.

7. Tourist satisfaction becomes a benchmark for integration and innovation in the travel industry

The improvement in tourists' satisfaction and sense of gain has objectively promoted the interaction and integration of tourism with culture, education, finance, business, transportation and other industries. On the one hand, it has enhanced the popularity and favorability of tourist destinations. On the other hand, it has also driven the economic growth of related industries by continuously developing new products, new business formats and new supplies.

II. Development Trends and Suggestions of Tourism Service Quality in 2019

To make tourists "have something to travel, can afford it, and have fun" is the development purpose and work orientation of the tourism industry in the new era. The improvement of tourism service quality will focus on increasing the supply quantity and continuously optimizing the supply structure, and guide the tourism industry to focus on investing in high-quality tourism services that are normalized and affordable for the general public. Tourism service quality evaluation is an effective work tool for implementing the people-centered development concept. We must implement the people-centered development concept, firmly follow the national tourism core values of "tourists first, sincere service", and focus on solving the system and mechanism problems of improving service quality and management level. Make good use of tourism service quality surveys, conduct regular research and report release on travel behavior, consumption characteristics, satisfaction, etc., compile a "Special Action Plan for Improving Tourism Quality", strengthen tourism service quality monitoring in response to concentrated problems and key concerns of the people, promote the application of tourism service quality monitoring results, and provide a scientific basis for local tourism and the tourism industry to improve the supply structure and quality.

Original manuscript: Dai Bin, Zhang Jiayi, He Qiongfeng

Edited by: Zhang Jiayi

Source: China Tourism Academy (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism)

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