Report Released丨"2018 Tourism Economic Operation Review" Series Report (V): World Tourism Development and International Tourism Cooperation

On January 17, the China Tourism Academy (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) released the "2018 Tourism Economic Operation Inventory Series Report: World Tourism Development and International Tourism Cooperation." The report shows that the global tourism industry achieved significant growth in 2018. China has contributed strong momentum to the development of world tourism and has become a pioneer at multiple levels including regional strategy, country and enterprise. It is expected that the general trend of stable growth of the global tourism industry will remain unchanged in 2019. The number of global inbound overnight tourists will increase by about 5%, and the Asia-Pacific region will become the fastest growing region in the world. Supported by a stable and progressive domestic economy and stimulated by consumption brought about by personal tax reform, China's outbound tourism will grow steadily, but consumption decisions will tend to be cautious.

1. The global tourism industry is growing steadily, and China is leading the new pattern of world tourism

1. World tourism achieves ninth consecutive year of growth

The market growth exceeded expectations at the beginning of the year, and the pace of growth continued. According to statistics from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the global tourism market continued to grow in the first half of 2018. From January to June 2018, the total number of overnight inbound tourists worldwide reached 641 million, 37 million more than the same period in 2017, a year-on-year increase of 6%, continuing the strong growth trend in 2017 (7%). From the first to the second quarter of 2018, the number of overnight inbound tourists from around the world increased steadily. According to data from the World Tourism Organization, 80% of countries experienced an increase in inbound tourists in 2018.

In terms of regions, all regions have achieved growth in the number of international inbound tourists, with Asia-Pacific and Europe leading the way, with growth rates of 7.4% and 6.8% in the first half of the year, respectively. The reason for the decline in Europe's growth rate is the slow growth of tourist arrivals in Northern Europe, which grew by only 0.9%. Asia-Pacific performed strongly except for Oceania. Southeast Asia led the growth for two consecutive years, with growth rates of 8.6% and 9.4% respectively; the growth rates of inbound tourist arrivals in South Asia and Northeast Asia increased compared with 2017, reaching 7.2% and 6.4% respectively.

It is estimated that the total number of inbound overnight tourists worldwide in 2018 will increase by 4-5% year-on-year, exceeding the forecast at the beginning of the year. All regions in the world will achieve positive growth, and Europe and Asia-Pacific will become the main regions leading global tourism growth.

2. China has become one of the most important source markets and destinations for global tourism

China provides the world with a steady growth in passenger flow. According to the World Tourism Organization, the growth in the number of tourists in the Asia-Pacific region is mainly due to the stable and strong demand within the region, and China has made the most outstanding contribution to the development of the tourism market. Since 2012, China has been one of the world's leading outbound tourism consumption countries. In 2017, China received a total of 60.74 million international overnight tourists, ranking fourth in the world, second only to France, Spain and the United States, with a growth rate of 2.5%. In 2017, China received 18.8% of the total number of international tourists in the Asia-Pacific region, and tourism revenue accounted for 8.4% of the total in the Asia-Pacific region.

3. In 2018, the tourism industry continued to contribute to the growth momentum of the world economy

Tourism is the driving force behind world economic development. WTTC's "2018 Global Tourism Industry Economic Impact Report" shows that 2017 was one of the years with the largest GDP growth in the past decade. The travel and tourism industry achieved industry growth of 4.6%, outperforming the overall global economic growth rate for seven consecutive years. Over the past seven years, one in every five net new jobs in the world has come from the tourism industry.

In the five years since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed, China has made great contributions to the world's tourism industry. According to the data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the number of Chinese outbound tourists reached 71.31 million in the first half of 2018, an increase of 15% over the same period last year, among which the countries along the Belt and Road are the fastest growing tourism group. 2018 marks the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN strategic partnership. The number of two-way tourists between China and ASEAN increased from more than 30 million in 2016 to nearly 50 million in 2017. In the first nine months of 2018, Cambodia attracted infrastructure and tourism projects with a total investment of more than US$4.7 billion, of which 60% came from China. The 2017 China-Kazakhstan Tourism Year was successfully held, and Kazakhstan launched the "Friendly China" plan. From January to June 2018, the number of Kazakh visitors to China reached 109,600, an increase of 12.7% year-on-year.

II. my country's international tourism cooperation is multi-level and comprehensive, radiating and driving the development of world tourism

In 2018, my country's tourism cooperation with other countries in the world deepened comprehensively, with a wider scope of cooperation and richer channels of cooperation.

1. “All-region tourism” builds a vision of a better life and welcomes inbound tourists

In 2018, the slogan of "Beautiful China - 2018 Global Tourism Year" is "New Era, New Tourism, New Gains" and "Global Tourism, New Pursuit". With the gradual implementation of the "13th Five-Year Plan for the Development of the Foreign Inbound Tourism Market", the gradual deepening of the toilet revolution and the reform of the comprehensive tourism management system, the foundation for the sustained growth of inbound tourism has been consolidated.

In order to build a community with a shared future for mankind, China has actively expanded its opening up to the outside world and provided convenience for inbound tourists. Taking visa policy as an example, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai and other regions have successively implemented a 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreigners, and the visa-free period has been further extended, making it easier for foreigners to travel to China.

2. Host diplomatic activities have become an important stage for international tourism cooperation

Tourism cooperation has continued to deepen through a series of home-based diplomatic activities. At the first Tourism Ministers' Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states in 2018, the countries reached a consensus to enhance the convenience of tourism exchanges, simplify visa procedures, expand routes and flights, promote cooperation between tourism enterprises and related industries, and jointly develop and promote tourism products.

With the holding of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, China-Africa tourism exchanges have entered a golden period of development. Currently, nearly 20 African countries have visa-free or visa-on-arrival policies for Chinese tourists, such as Mauritius, Morocco, and Tunisia, while Egypt, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe have opened visa-on-arrival policies for Chinese tourists. Direct flights between China and Africa are also increasing.

3. China-EU Tourism Year is in full swing

The 2018 China-EU Tourism Year was successfully held, and the complementary resource markets between China and the EU have created new highlights for pragmatic and mutually beneficial cooperation. China has become the third largest source of tourists to the EU, and the number of Chinese tourists traveling to Europe continues to rise. While being interested in classic tourist destinations, they are also visiting more emerging tourist destinations such as Central and Eastern Europe.

Facilitation of personnel exchanges has been listed as one of the "five major platforms" of China-EU cooperation. Currently, there are more than 600 flights between China and Europe every week. According to the consensus of both sides, the EU has opened visa centers in 15 Chinese cities that do not have embassies or consulates of member states, making it easier for Chinese tourists to apply for visas.

4. China leads the new era of tourism payment and promotes the upgrading of global tourism consumption experience

The UnionPay card acceptance network has expanded to 168 countries and regions. UnionPay cards can be used at more than 23 million overseas merchants, and more than 1.64 million ATM machines can withdraw cash with UnionPay cards. More than 300,000 merchants in 38 overseas countries and regions have supported UnionPay cards for tax refund. With the growth of China's outbound tourism, overseas mobile payment has been promoted rapidly. 80 airports around the world support Alipay for real-time tax refund, and the money will be returned directly to Alipay after scanning the code.

3. Tourism will continue to play an important role in economic growth in 2019

In 2019, the world economic growth rate is likely to be adjusted downward, and trade protectionism is on the rise in some economies, but the global economic recovery is expected to continue, and the growth rate will remain at around 3.7%. It is expected that the global tourism industry will maintain a stable growth trend in 2019, and the global inbound overnight tourists will achieve an increase of about 5%, and the Asia-Pacific region will become the fastest growing region in the world.

Supported by the steady and progressive domestic economy and the consumption stimulus brought about by the individual tax reform, China's outbound tourism will grow steadily, but consumption decisions will tend to be cautious. From the perspective of consumption structure, the consumption structure of Chinese tourists is expected to continue to optimize. The proportion of catering, cultural entertainment, and accommodation consumption has increased, and shopping consumption has declined significantly. Tourists pay more attention to experience and quality in their consumption. The backbone position of parent-child family travel in the outbound market will be further consolidated, and the number will far exceed that of other countries.

Original manuscript: Yang Jinsong, Yang Liqiong, Jiang Yiyi, Li Chuangxin, Liu Xiangyan

Edited by: Yang Liqiong, Yang Jinsong