China's inbound tourism witnesses decline

Xu Fan, a member of the Expert Committee of the World Tourism Organization delivers a speech on Friday.[Photo by Feng Yongbin/China Daily]

Inbound tourism in China has witnessed continuous decline in the last two to three years, Xu Fan, a member of the Expert Committee of the World Tourism Organization, said on Friday.

In the World Tourism Cities Federation forum with the focus on inbound tourism trends,Xu introduced the decline in China, saying when the number of visitors from overseas coming to China has to be a certain large number, slower growth is inevitable.  But there is still plenty of room for tour companies and other service providers in this emerging industry.

Currently, tourists both at home and aboard have played a more important role in the tourism market. They’re, pushing tourism into a new area, “User-generated content”, referring to trend that they are casting a larger influence on tourist attractions and products with the help of the modern technologies (easy access to Internet and popular social networks like micro-blogs).

To attract more visitors, the tourism service providers need to diversify their products and services, such as providing a slower lifestyle to people who are under great pressure from urban areas, she suggested.