Traveling has become commonplace nowadays, as is evidenced by the fact that the Chinese people can be seen everywhere in the world. Before the country’s reform and opening up, tourism was a luxury, and many people have never traveled throughout their life. Today, we will share you the stories of the earth-shaking changes in China’s tourism industry for 40 years.
Wang Shengmin, 47, has been engaged in tourism for 29 years. In 1989 when the National Tourism Administration launched tour guide certificate exam for the first time, 18-year-old Wang Shengmin had just graduated from Nanjing Tourism School. This yellow-colored guide card was the tour guide certificate granted to him at that time.
In the early days of reform and opening up, China focused on the development of inbound tourism with domestic tourism making up a very small portion. There was no such thing as outbound tourism in the strict sense. At that time, most of the visitors Wang Shengmin received came from foreign countries. There were few domestic tourists, and most of them were organized by institutions.
With the continuous advancement of reform and opening up, Chinese people have increased their living standards, and the desire to travel has become stronger than ever. In the National Day of 1999, China launched the first "Golden Week", setting off a blowout effect in domestic tourism, which further promoted the improvement of tourism infrastructure, supportive services and industry management.
In 2011, the State Council designated May 19th as the "China Tourism Day", ushering in an era of mass tourism for China's tourism industry. The Chinese people have traveled all over the world. More and more countries and regions are open to Chinese tourists by extending visa-free, chartered flights and other special offers and services for the Chinese tourists, making it easier for the Chinese people to go for traveling while private ordering is not uncommon. In 2017, Chinese nationals made 130 million tour trips, making China the most important source of tourists in the world.
Wang Shengmin has also developed from a member of the state-owned travel agency to be the manager of his own travel agency and now a tourism professional manager, witnessing the vigorous development of China's tourism industry in the tide of reform and opening up.
(Source:ourjiangsu.com)
