Good news for travelers as tourism industry projected to rebound
China's travel and tourism sector is set to recover by more than 60 percent this year, ahead of the global recovery rate, new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) reveals.
The sector's contribution to the country's GDP could see a year-on-year increase of 60.7 percent this year, almost twice the global average, representing an annual growth of nearly 2.8 trillion yuan (US$440 billion), the council forecasts.
The growth momentum is expected to continue in 2022, WTTC said.
Specifically, domestic spending is set to grow by 75 percent by the end of this year and see a further year-on-year rise of more than one-third in 2022.
However, while international spending, which is critical to the sector's recovery, is forecast to grow by just 7.2 percent in 2021, it could significantly outpace domestic spending with a rise of 94.3 percent next year when China's border is expected to reopen to major source markets around the world, the study noted.
If key measures are followed, the number of those employed in the sector could eclipse pre-pandemic levels, reaching more than 80 million jobs in 2022, according to the study.
These measures include allowing fully vaccinated travelers to move freely and the implementation of digital solutions which enable all travelers to easily prove their COVID-19 and vaccination status, among others.
After a loss of more than 16 million jobs last year, employment growth in China's travel and tourism industry is set to rise by a minimal 3.6 percent this year.
