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China is expected to have 64 million foreign tourists in 2010, putting it in third place of the world's favourite destinations, while by 2020 it will become the most popular country for travellers, according to a strategic forecast of the World Travel & Tourism Council.
The country received 31 million visitors from overseas in 2005, which is set to increase by 29 per cent to 41 million this year, the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) says.
But it is a bittersweet situation for China's travel services - the delight at the huge market potential is tempered by a shortage of skilled tour guides, especially at the high-end segment.
As overseas travel services have entered into China via joint ventures and have been allowed to set up solely funded organizations since the start of the year, they face the same problems.
Official statistics show there are more than 200,000 qualified guides for sightseers around the country, of which only a few hundred are competent to receive foreigners or lead groups outside of China.
CNTA says that China's professional tourism colleges and universities can provide around 100,000 graduates annually.
But only about a quarter of them will choose to become tour guides, far less than the predicted market demand, especially given the coming 2008 Olympic Games and 2010 Shanghai World Expo.
Talent war
Liu Qiande, vice-president of Beijing Travel Association, believes that current competition between travel businesses in China focuses on recruiting the best talent, and will intensify even more in the coming years.
Various services bid for senior professionals with attractive salaries and packages, including bonuses and insurance schemes. Guangzhou Nanhu Travel Service recently offered a 300,000-yuan (US$37,037) annual salary, equivalent to a senior executive in a multinational company in China, for an experienced senior travel guide.
Though the actual income will be flexible - maybe higher or lower - in accordance with the person's performance, the wage is still lucrative, insiders say.
A Hong Kong citizen ultimately secured the position, indicating that overseas Chinese and Chinese returnees are highly regarded in the tourism industry, as they are more familiar with tour operations and service standards in the developed regions and nations. Their knowledge of the culture of foreign nationals limits the impact of language and customs problems.