Q&A: How can China improve its tourism services?

Editor's note: During the annual two sessions, China Daily collects questions foreign netizens care most about and solicit answers from experts, CPPCC National Committee members and NPC deputies.

How can China improve its tourism services and related industries?

Zhang Guangrui, honorary director of the Tourism Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences [Photo/China Daily]

Industries related to tourism are different from others, because they target individuals. The supply of products and services has to exactly match the market's demands, otherwise, these products and services will not sell.

However, right now there are some problems with tourism services and related industries in China, such as when we hear about restaurants and shops in scenic areas overcharging customers, tour guides forcing tourists to shop and toilets in scenic spots that are not up to standard.

Bad service results in a bad experience for tourists and hurts the development of tourism and related industries.

China is entering an era of mass travel and has a huge tourism market. Many people have the desire and ability to travel. There are different layers of demand in the market, ranging from luxury travel to trips that only provide tourists with a quick look at scenic spots. More people are looking for personalized services, so providing just a single kind of service will not meet the requirements of all tourists anymore. Also, companies cannot just think about making quick money, but should instead focus on providing diversified, quality services to tourists.

Meanwhile, China's inbound tourism has grown at a relatively low level for the past few years, compared with other popular Asian destinations, such as Japan and Thailand.

China has taken many measures to attract overseas tourists, including providing a 72-hour visa-free transit service, but the world does not seems to have taken notice.

It is important for China to understand what the world's tourists' need and to serve them properly. In the past, many traveled to Beijing to see the Great Wall, but it is important that we let people know that there are many other sights worth seeing, and provide good services so that they can experience them better. For tourists from different countries, we could also offer different services to cater to their specific needs.