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China aims to be world's top tourist destination

BEIJING: China envisages becoming the world's top tourist destination by the year 2020, the China Daily Business Weekly said on Sunday.

China's entry to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is expected to help the tourism industry become a pillar of the nation's economy, the newspaper said, quoting a report by the China National Tourism Administration.

Entry to WTO would require the administration to revise laws and regulations to further ease curbs on foreign travel agencies operating in the country.

"We hope to become the world's top tourism destination by 2020. We'll make it by taking advantage of WTO entry," an administration official was quoted as saying.

Foreign exchange revenues from tourism jumped 11.9 percent in 1999 to $14 billion from a year earlier, the People's Daily said. Tourist arrivals rose 14.9 percent to 72.79 million.

China eased curbs on foreign travel agents in 1998 allowing them to provide services to domestic counterparts.

After the market is fully opened, wholly foreign-owned or Sino-foreign joint venture travel agencies would be allowed to work with Chinese airlines, hotels, shopping centres and restaurants, the China Daily Business Weekly said. It gave no further details.-Reuters