Tourism growth should be sustainable

The total number of domestic tours reached 830 million in the first quarter of 2022, which was 194 million or 19 percent less than in the same period last year, but domestic tourism revenue reached 770 billion yuan ($118 billion), up 30 billion yuan or 4 percent year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

This shows that tourism consumption is still on the rise despite the pandemic, which has hit domestic tourism hard in recent years. Data show that the number of domestic tourists dipped by 52.1 percent year-on-year in 2020 and the total domestic tourism consumption dipped 61.1 percent year-on-year.

Virus outbreaks across the country since the beginning of this year have once again pressed the "pause button" for the tourism sector's recovery.

Therefore, the growth in domestic tourism revenue in the first quarter of this year shows domestic tourism consumption still has huge potential. The pandemic does affect travel, but people have not stopped traveling or seeking "higher-quality tourism".

Market entities operating tourism should give up the old formula of low-price competition to attract tourists, and instead take the initiative to protect consumers' rights and interests and improve the tourism experience altogether. Tourism authorities should optimize regulation through innovation, and take precise measures to regulate improper means of competition by tourism market players that harm the tourism experience, so that tourists are willing to spend.

The "tourism economy" covers tickets, catering, accommodation and other incomes, but many places have for long stuck to just the "ticket economy" as the source of tourism revenue. This approach arrests tourism consumption and is not conducive for the sector's long-term development.

After the restricted flow of people under virus control measures is relaxed, all localities should adopt a long-term approach, actively guide market players to give up dependence on the ticket economy model and instead realize the sustainable development of tourism with the goal of exploiting the potential of tourism consumption.