In a recent interview with Beijing?s travel agencies, it was found that more and more ordinary people are looking to organize group tours. Regular people and wage-earners have become the main focus for travel agencies around the country.

The tourism profession says, ?Different generations of tourists can gradually enjoy individualized services as they are offered.? A travel agency in Guangdong Province has successfully developed a tourism itinerary for the elderly. The package takes into account the special food and medical care of the old, and is priced at between 2,000 to 2,500 yuan (US$242-302).

It is becoming much easier for ordinary people to enjoy the pleasures of tourism. As they earn more they will tend to spend more on tourist activities. According to statistics for 2001 total consumption for city residents reached 265.17 billion yuan (US$32.08 billion), and 87.07 billion yuan (US$10.53 billion) for rural residents. Average tourism expenditure was 449.3 yuan (US$54.35) per person, 5.3 percent higher than for the previous year.

What?

The avenues open to citizens to travel have changed considerably. People can now choose from a number of different kinds of tours, such as joining touring parties organized by travel agencies, backpacking, family vacations, romantic honeymoons, trips for exploration, and traveling abroad while studying. Travel agencies have also developed lots of products for tourists.

China separately hosts two international and domestic tourism fairs every year giving travel agencies the opportunity to show off their new tourist products.

With the development of the economy, automobiles are becoming common place in many families. A new style of tourism where people drive their own cars has begun to emerge for the first time in China. Newly opened highways, connecting Sichuan Province with Beihai, a coastal city in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, are becoming hot routes for this kind of sightseeing. Mr. Ling, from Sichuan, said that he drove 1,700 km to Beihai with his family to enjoy the beautiful sea. Some travel agencies and automobile clubs are now organizing such trips for their customers. The motorcades are so magnificent that they are almost a vista in themselves.

When?

Spring and autumn are the two favored seasons for traveling according to the beliefs of most Chinese people. Now, at the end of November which is not traditionally considered good seasons for traveling, most famous scenic spots were still full of tourists.

The average Chinese person now feels that they have more time to enjoy themselves. Citizens have 110 festivals and holidays every year, including weekends, seven days off for the Spring Festival, International Labor Day, and National Day.

Paid holidays have recently become a hot topic among IT company staff in Beijing. Companies are offering three to four weeks of paid holidays as part of benefits to exceptional staff. Company staff all seem to support this decision. They see it as an incentive system, and that it will ultimately lead to heightened efficiency.

Encouraging staff with more time for relaxation and enjoyment is part of a national agenda. The outlines of the 10th five-year plan summarized principles for the implementation of an improved paid holiday system, reducing the amount of time spent at work, expanding the range of services to be supplied and encouraging citizens to consume more services.

Where?

According to statistics by the relevant departments, more than 7,000 people traveled abroad during this year?s International Labor Day holiday. Since the nation has implemented the policy of golden holidays, the market for trips abroad has become increasingly popular with more places for Chinese people to visit being approved. People are no longer satisfied with tourism routes to nearby countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. People are now looking toward Europe and America for their trips.

In recent years, simple, traditional and familiar historic sites are no longer satisfying the desires of the country?s tourism culture. People are eager to experience the different cultures and customs of other people. The diversity of their requests for trips is expanding enormously.

Why?

The recent Shanghai International Tourism Commodities Fair and the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), a tourism conference held in Guiling, showed that China?s tourism industry has the potential for great success as its ability to compete for tourism continues to strengthen. At the same time these events showed that China?s influence in Asia, and even the world, is growing day by day as the economy develops at a rapid pace and people look for more ways to enjoy themselves.

After 20 years of reform and opening up, China has developed into a well-off society. The society is stable and people?s lives are rich and colorful. Leisure and tourism are becoming increasingly important parts of lives. The lives of Chinese people have improved a great deal.

(China.org.cn by Wu Nanlan, December 5, 2002)