China’s tourism sector is one of the bright spots of the global economy and so China will invest 20 percent more in its tourism industry in the coming year, compared to 2015, with the goal of increasing the industry’s annual revenue by 10 percent. Investment is expected to rise to 1.2 trillion yuan ($180 billion), with projected revenue expected to reach 4.55 trillion yuan ($682 billion).

Meanwhile Chinese travelers are expected to make 4.38 billion trips for tourism within China this year, up 9.5 percent over 2015, and revenue from their travels will rise by 11 percent year on year to 3.8 trillion yuan ($570 billion). A total of 263 million tourist trips are expected for Chinese going abroad and foreigners coming into China in 2016, up 5 percent year over 2015.
Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in China’s economy, accounting for about 10.8 percent of total GDP growth and 10.2 percent of national employment in 2015.

To underscore the importance of China’s tourism industry, the Chinese government and the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) will co-host an international tourism conference in Beijing on May 18. Representatives from 143 countries will be invited to the four-day meeting to discuss global tourism, which has bucked the trend of sluggish global economic growth and expanded for six straight years.

As co-host for the conference, China’s plans are to showcase its many tourist attractions, as well as explore ways to boost sustainable development of the sector, push forward international cooperation, and relieve poverty in tourist destinations.