Top Ten News of World Tourism Industry in 2015

BEIJING :The following are the top ten news of the World Tourism Industry in 2015 selected by China National Tourism Administration.

1. Travel & Tourism Sector will Generate 10% of Global GDP and 9.5% of Total Employment in 2015. China’s Domestic Travels, Outbound Tourist Visits, Domestic Tourism Consumptions and Outbound Tourism Consumptions will All Rank Top of the World.

WTTC estimates that the travel & tourism sector’s total contribution to the world economy in 2015 will be US$7.8 trillion or 10% of global GDP, and it will support 284 million jobs across the globe, 9.5% of total employment. (WTTC)

China’s domestic travels will exceed 4 billion and outbound tourist visits will reach 120 million. China’s domestic travels, outbound tourist visits, domestic tourism consumptions and outbound tourism consumptions all rank top of the world. (National Tourism Data Center)

Chinese tourists’ “Baku kaii” (literally meaning “explosive buying”) has become the buzzword of the year in Japan. (Japan Economy News)

2. The 21st Session of the UNWTO General Assembly Held in Medellín, Colombia

On September 14, with participation of more than 900 delegates from 120 countries, including over 70 Ministers and Secretaries of State, the 21st Session of the UNWTO General Assembly opened in Medellín, Colombia, in the presence of Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. (UNWTO Website)

3. United Nations Declares 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development

On December 4, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly has approved the adoption of 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development. UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai expressed that it is a unique opportunity to advance the contribution of the tourism sector to the three pillars of sustainability – economic, social and environmental, while raising awareness of the true dimensions of a sector which is often undervalued. (UNWTO Website)

4. Acting in Line With the Important Instructions of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Launching a Nationwide Revolution of Tourist Toilet in China

 As an important measure of the “515” strategy for promoting Chinese tourism development, the “tourist toilet revolution” launched by the CNTA has become a gigantic tourism infrastructure project, civility project and livelihood project in the urban-rural public service sector. In the three-year period from 2015 to 2017, 57,000 tourist toilets will be built, upgraded and expanded.

5. The US Will Improve Visa and Entry Process to Promote Inbound Tourism

At the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW travel industry conference in Orlando, USA, from May 30 to June 1, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said that the number of countries whose citizens can enter the USA for business or leisure travel visa-free for up to 90 days has grown to 38. In addition, the US would shorten the wait times of visa application, streamline entry process and renovate 17 airports. (USA Today)

6. Spain Titled as the Most Competitive Country of Tourism 2014

In May, World Economic Forum (WEF) released the latest Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report. Based on 14 indicators, Spain ranked No. 1 for the first time among 141 countries in terms of tourism competitiveness, followed by France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom. Japan ranked the 9th, the highest of all Asian countries, while China moved up to No. 17 from No. 45 in 2012. (World Economic Forum)

7. UNWTO Condemns Terrorist Attack that Impacted Tourism in France

On November 13, terrorist attacks occurred in Paris and tourism in France was severely affected. One week after the attacks, the turnover of the catering industry and the hotel industry in Paris suffered a plunge of 30% and 26% respectively. According to Paris Île-de-France Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in following period of time, the hotel industry in France will see an overall drop of over 50%. (France Info, UNWTO)

8. Vladimir Putin Signed a Decree for Sanction on Turkey Tourism Industry

On the 28th, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree to impose sanction on Turkey, banning all tourism agencies from handling any procedure for tours to Turkey and requiring government authorities to take measures to prohibit all chartered flights from and to Turkey. (Website of the Russian President)

9. Ebola Outbreak Ends and Africa Expects to Boost Tourism

As WHO declared that the Ebola outbreak in western Africa had ended, Sierra Leone and other western African countries opened their doors to tourists in the hope that tourism would help with their economic recovery. (Daily Telegraph)

10. Chinese Government to Co-host the First World Conference on Tourism for Development in 2016

The First World Conference on Tourism for Development, co-hosted by the Chinese government and UNWTO and organized by CNTA, will be held in Beijing, China on May18-21, 2016. Themed on “Tourism for Peace and Development”, the conference will focus its discussions on tourism for development, tourism for poverty alleviation, and tourism for peace. (Xinhua News Agency) Source: China National Tourism Administration Dec. 2015