On Wednesday, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced that China continues to grow in domestic tourism as the country recorded a total of 5.13 trillion yuan, approximately $764 billion, in local travels last year.
The numbers translate to a significant 12.3 percent increase compared to 2017's data. In fact, there were 5.54 billion domestic tourist trips that took place in 2018, further proving that China's local tourism sect is moving at a fast pace.
According to Xinhua, urbanization is one of the reasons why China's domestic tourism is growing. Over the past years, the Chinese people saw their livelihood improve. Tourism consumption in local areas also increased, allowing for economic growth even in some regions that are still developing.
Ministry officials noted that it is important to provide quality products in the cultural and tourism industries, especially during this year's Spring Festival celebrations. It is expected that the holiday season will spur travel sprees and shopping among the Chinese people.
Part of Beijing's efforts to boost tourism is the recently launched Visit Laos-China Year 2019 project that aims to promote tourism in both countries.
Late last week, Laos' President Bounnhang Vorachit and Chinese President Xi Jinping sent messages to each other to congratulate their countries for successfully planning and organizing the joint venture.
Asia News Network reported that Chinese Minister of Culture and Tourism, Luo Shugang, and Laos' Minister of Information, Culture, and Tourism, Prof. Dr. Bosengkham represented the leaders of their respective countries during the launch.
Minister Bosengkham read President Bounnhang's message that stated, "The launch of Visit Laos-China Year 2019 is an important activity in enhancing friendly relations and mutual understanding among the peoples of our two countries."
In his congratulatory message delivered by Minister Luo, President Xi stressed the importance of Laos in China's bid towards global tourism. He added that for the past 58 years, Laos was a "good comrade and good partner" to the Chinese people. Last year, 805,833 Chinese visitors landed in Laos, a significant increase of 26 percent compared to the numbers recorded in 2017.
While Visit Laos-China Year 2019 is primarily focused on encouraging travels between Chinese and Lao tourists, the program is also expected to raise further awareness about tourist spots in China that have yet to be recognized worldwide.
Held at the National Culture Hall in the Vientiane capital of Laos, the launch ceremony featured the striking of a gong nine times. Traditional performances were also delivered by Chinese and Lao artists.
