First read is on us.

Subscribe today to keep up with the latest travel industry news.

SkiftStats: Tourism industry in China is ninth largest export, 9.2 percent of GDP


Skift Take

The tourism sector is growing faster in Asia than any other region worldwide and has slowly become more important to the Chinese economy than traditional industries like car manufacturing.

The Travel & Tourism industry in China is substantially bigger than automotive manufacturing and supports almost as many jobs as the mining sector. This is according to new research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) sponsored by American Express, released during a speech by WTTC’s President & CEO, David Scowsill, at the ‘International Tourism Industry Expo’ in Guaangdong, China.

Travel & Tourism’s total contribution to GDP in China was around 9% of total GDP. This compares to 8% for automotive manufacturing, 7% for education and 5% for communications services.

Up Next

Business Travel

The State of Corporate Travel and Expense 2025

A new report explores how for travel and finance managers are targeting enhanced ROI, new opportunities, greater efficiencies, time and money savings, and better experiences for employees with innovative travel and expense management solutions.
Sponsored
Tourism

How Two Little Letters Made Anguilla into a Hidden Caribbean Goldmine

Anguilla is a small island with a big secret. It owns one of the most lucrative pieces of digital real estate in the world: the .ai domain. Now that ChatGPT brought artificial intelligence mainstream, it holds the potential to transform the island's tourism economy – and its future.
Tourism

Remote Year Collapse: What We Know

Remote Year said it was closing, upsetting many customers who had paid for future trips as digital nomads. Two CEOs are pointing fingers at each other. It's the vendors in emerging markets who will likely be hurt most.