China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has unveiled a development plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, outlining a strategic roadmap to establish the nation as a tourism powerhouse. The plan sets a target for 2030, aiming for substantial progress in high-quality tourism development, a more robust modern tourism system, and significant strides in achieving this national ambition.
The tourism industry is expected to see its role as a pillar of the economy further solidified, with its functions in stimulating domestic demand, boosting employment, and invigorating the market becoming more pronounced. The plan projects that the added value of tourism and related industries will account for a steadily increasing share of the GDP. The objective is to significantly enhance the public's sense of fulfillment and happiness derived from tourism.
A continuous improvement in the public tourism service system and sustained growth in tourist satisfaction are key goals. The plan anticipates domestic tourist trips to reach 8.3 billion, with total domestic tourism expenditure hitting 7.7 trillion yuan. This underscores the growing accessibility and widespread benefits of tourism.
Fostering New Growth Drivers for Tourism
A central task in the plan is cultivating new growth drivers for the sector's expansion. An expert from Beijing Union University's China Tourism Economy and Policy Research Center emphasized the need to enrich the cultural experience of tourism, enabling visitors to gain spiritual and value-based rewards from their journeys. This involves activating deeper cultural and spiritual needs through diverse methods.
Furthermore, the integration of technologies like artificial intelligence to create immersive experience scenarios and novel cultural-tourism products is highlighted. Innovation in business formats and services is encouraged to make tourism experiences more tangible, relatable, and interactive.
Unleashing Tourism Consumption Potential
To tap into tourism consumption potential, the plan advocates for supporting tourist attractions in developing distinctive nighttime tourism, cultural and creative markets, and new performance spaces. It encourages the hosting of product launches, fashion shows, premieres, and inaugural exhibitions in scenic spots, resorts, and leisure districts, tailored to local conditions, to systematically boost nighttime tourism spending.
A researcher from the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission pointed to the vast potential in revitalizing existing spaces like industrial heritage sites, historical and cultural blocks, old factories, and traditional neighborhoods for new cultural-tourism formats. The key is to develop distinctive features based on local characteristics.
The plan also promotes the deeper integration of products like travel photography, food, opera, small theater performances, cultural-creative sales, costume experiences, and intangible cultural heritage activities into specific settings, aiming to continuously unlock the potential of cultural-tourism consumption.
According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, retail sales in China's cultural, sports, and leisure services sector grew by over 10% year-on-year from January to May this year, indicating an accelerated release of service consumption demand. With this detailed "roadmap" now published, the construction of China as a tourism powerhouse is set to accelerate, aiming to meet new aspirations for cultural enrichment and travel, thereby better contributing to a high-quality life.
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