Society

Tourism to propel growth

By ZHAO HUANXIN (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-22 08:47

Industry will play an important role in the world's economic stability, experts say

SANYA, Hainan - Tourism will help the world recover in the aftermath of the financial crisis, and there should be supportive government policies to ensure the industry becomes a pillar of the economy, participants of the 2010 Boao International Tourism Forum said.

Performers dance at the opening of the 2010 Boao International Tourism Forum in Sanya, Hainan province, on Saturday.

A declaration adopted at the end of the two-day meeting in Sanya, Hainan province, attended by 1,200 participants from more than 50 countries and regions, included a pledge to ensure tourism becomes a strong, recognizable industry and contributes to global economic stability.

Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attends the opening of ceremony of the 2010 Boao International Tourism Forum in Sanya, Hainan province, on Saturday.

It said China had adopted a series of policies to promote tourism expansion, demonstrating a strong will to develop the industry as a strategic pillar in its economy.

"It is all the more important to step up development of tourism in the aftermath of the financial crisis," the declaration read.

Taleb Rifai, secretary-general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), told the forum that despite the economic benefits of tourism , it is still not as acknowledged as an industry in many countries.

"It's becoming clear that industries like insurance and automobiles and finance have the more sensitive and much more assertive position in the eyes of many people, while our industry, employing more people, and contributing more to the GDP of many countries, still remains behind," he said.

In the case of Hainan, 23 percent of the island's workers are engaged in tourism or related industries, and tourism-led service sectors contributed 42 percent to the province's wealth last year, said Hainan Governor Luo Baoming.

Tourism had effectively helped Hainan cushion the impact of the global financial turmoil, he said.

The State Council unveiled an ambitious plan in January to catapult the tropical island province to an international tourist destination by 2020.

Analysts said the policy mirrors the country's intensified efforts to shift its economic mode of growth.

Nationwide, overall tourism revenue rose 11.3 percent year on year to $188.8 billion in 2009, securing employment for 11 million workers in the industry, said Shao Qiwei, head of China National Tourism Administration.

International tourist arrivals fell by 4 percent in 2009, while earnings from international tourism are estimated to have fallen by 6 percent, according to the UNWTO.

The UNWTO forecasts global tourism revenue will grow by 2 to 3 percent and much of the growth will come from China.

Condoleezza Rice, former Secretary of State of the United States, attended the forum's opening ceremony on Saturday night in Sanya.