Holiday tourists benefit telecom industry
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-10-02 10:25

Besides hotels and restaurants, the telecommunication industry also benefits from the surge of Chinese tourists during the seven day National Day holiday.

As outbound tourism has gained popularity, so has international telecommunication service. Half a month before the holiday, users lined up to register for the service, which allows messages to travel around the world.

"My daughter just graduated from university andis now traveling with a group of people to Italy. I hope to receive her messages whenever she goes," said Zhang Xin, who helped her daughter open the service in Beijing.

China Mobile has launched international service with 240 companies in 172 nations and areas, ranking first in coverage and enabling its users to enjoy international communication in 90 percent of the world's nations.

"Even German telecommunication companies have benefited from Chinese travelers," said He Wei, a guide with German Kaiser Travel Agency. China's mobile users will be charged an additional 15 percent fee when using a phone outside its registered country, part of which will be retured to local telecommunication providers. China's increasing business and tourist travelers will therefore provide a huge market for other nations.

According to a report issued by Japanese-based Nokia, local providers can get high profits from inbound travelers. Among the 1. 1 billion telecommunication users, at least 100 million are potential customers. As the world's new tourist source nation and one of the biggest mobile phone markets, China has become the Holy Grail for global telecommunication operators.