China will overtake France as a global tourist destination by 2030, according to a new report from research company Euromonitor International, The Guardian reports.
And this is not the only predicted achievement of the Celestial Empire. In 12 years, China will become The country will become the leader in the number of travelers leaving the country, surpassing the United States and Germany. Experts believe that by 2030, the outbound flow of travelers will reach 260 million.
According to Euromonitor International, tourism has become a key pillar of the Chinese economy. According to research, China's tourism market will become the world's largest in the future, largely thanks to visitors from Asia, including Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The increase in visits to China is primarily driven by economic growth and higher incomes among citizens of neighboring Asian countries. Visa regulations with Asian countries have become much more streamlined in recent years. However, even single-entry Chinese visas remain difficult and expensive for tourists from the US and UK.
Domestic tourism is also growing in China. While domestic trips reached 4.7 billion in 2018, this figure is expected to rise to 6.7 billion by 2023. As tourism becomes increasingly important in China, the regional industry council aims to leverage it to stimulate rural economies. In 2017, China launched the "All for One" tourism program, focusing on preserving cultural diversity and environmental sustainability.
According to the UN World Tourism Organization, France topped the list of the most visited countries by foreign citizens. In 2017, 86.9 million people visited the country. Spain and the United States ranked second and third in terms of number of visitors.
Source: news.turizm.ru
