WTTC: Center of world tourism shifts to East

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WTTC: Center of world tourism shifts to East

(People's Daily Online) 17:23, October 28, 2013

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David Scowsill, President & CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), interviewed on Oct. 25 in Beijing, China. (People's Daily Online/ Xiao Lu)

The center of world tourism is shifting from West to East, and in particular towards China, said David Scowsill, President & CEO of World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) in an interview on Oct. 25 in Beijing, China.

As the tourist markets in Europe and America are already mature, their space for further development is very limited. In consequence Asia, represented by China, is becoming the main driving force for the development of international tourism. In the next ten years tourism will create 70 million employment opportunities, among which 47 million will come from Asia, according to David.

David also emphasized the importance of world tourism, saying: ”Tourism is a very important industry. It accounts for 9 percent of world GDP, with 266 million people involved. The development of tourism keeps it in the front rank of the world’s industries.”

China to become the most important tourist market in 2023

“In 2023 China is going to overtake the United States as the most important market both in inbound and outbound numbers,” said David.

The Chinese government has decided that tourism will be one of its five key pillars for economic growth. Thanks to this long term strategic decision China has been investing in infrastructure and has developed airports, terminals, and hotels in anticipation of the future requirement of increasing numbers of tourists, setting an example for other countries.

Hainan needs more international airlines

“Although Hainan has developed many high-end hotels, as a tourist destination it still lacks international air links, which is very inconvenient for foreign travelers,” said David, adding: ”During the 2014 Global Summit the WTTC will invite some major and some budget airlines to promote cooperation with Hainan.”

The 2014 WTTC Global Summit will take place in April 2014 in Hainan under the theme of “Changing World, New Perspectives”.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) is the forum for business leaders in the Travel & Tourist industry. Its members include the chief executives of some one hundred of the world's leading travel companies, and the annual WTTC global summit, known as the Davos of tourism, is the world's highest profile gathering for the Travel & Tourist industry.

（Editor：YaoChun、Zhang Qian）