At the advent of China's peak Lunar New Year travel season, the number of travelers arriving in Guangzhou was expected to rise Monday to 600,000 and local authorities scrambled to arrange temporary shelters at schools and other public buildings, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.
China is expected to become the world's second-largest travel and tourism market in terms of total demand and foreign visitor numbers in the next 10 years, according to a latest research report.
The research, which was jointly conducted by the World Travel & Tourism Council and a leading international consulting firm Accenture, was released after the WTTC International Conference held in the city yesterday.
Transport officials said Tuesday that the number of trips is expected to set a new record, up from 2.17 billion last year, partly as a result of changes to the country's official holiday schedule.
China adopted a new schedule this year, which saw the cancellation of the weeklong May Day holiday and the Spring Festival holiday being brought forward by a day to start from the eve of the Lunar New Year, which falls on February 6, instead of the first day of the festival.
A Xiamen trip is the latest travel plan for my family. It has a specific area culture, nice tour sights, and good weather. Perfect travel facilities make it a good travel destination. Tibet is my dream travel designation. Its mystery and purity are magic. To touch and feel the snow covered plateau, Tibetan Buddhism, and the simple people. Seriously, you really should go there.
The biggest event on the 2008 sporting calendar is also one of the most sought-after travel experiences in the world for families. Roadtrips, an international sports and special event travel company based in Winnipeg, Canada, has discovered the 2008 Summer Games is proving popular among family travelers.
"The majority of Roadtrips' Beijing travelers will be families," said Dave Guenther, Roadtrips President. "It's kind of a surprise for us. The Summer Games are usually popular with more of a corporate audience, but this year, we are finding that many parents are taking their children to China. The Games provide a good reason to explore China, and there are many family-friendly experiences outside of the Games in Beijing, like visiting the Great Wall or Forbidden City."
