The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) released a detailed report on China's travel and tourism Monday in Beijing.

The report made projections about the economic impact and growth of travel and tourism in China. It also provided a series of policy recommendations intended to maximize the industry's impact on both China and the world economy.

Jean-Claude Baumgarten, WTTC's president, said: "We believe that China will become a tourism economy the world has never seen. The Chinese government will prepare the groundwork for new consumer demand, by facilitating the development of transportation networks, infrastructure, tourism destinations, and a favorable policy environment."

According to research conducted by the WTTC, travel and tourism will be an enormous catalyst for future economic and social development in China and around the world. The number of people working in jobs created directly by travel and tourism will reach 13.6 million next year in China. The contribution of travel and tourism to China's GDP will be 289.2 billion yuan (US$36 billion).

The report also stated that travel and tourism will make an extraordinary contribution to China over the next 10 years.

The annual growth rate of travel and tourism will be 10.9 percent by 2013 and the annual contribution to China's GDP will be 844.6 billion yuan (US$105 billion)

Baumgarten said China should fund the marketing and promotional responsibilities of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) to create a public-private organization, the China Tourism Board.

He said hotel products should be diversified and state-owned enterprises should be merged into hotel groups and management companies.

China should establish a National Convention Bureau to exploit business in the Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) sector.

The WTTC is the forum for global business leaders comprising the presidents, chairs and CEOs of 100 of the world's foremost companies. Its members are leaders in all sectors of the industry, including accommodation, catering, entertainment, recreation, transportation and other travel-related areas.

The WTTC Country Report for China is the latest in a series of reports produced by the World Travel & Tourism Council using standards developed by the United Nations Statistics Commission and a detailed independent policy assessment by leading travel and tourism analysts. Research on the report began in 2002 and was carefully vetted by an international steering committee of 40 leading travel and tourism industry leaders.

(People’s Daily October 14, 2003)