The unexpected novel coronavirus epidemic may have taken a toll on China’s tourism industry, but the sector will rebound thanks to its resilience and the country’s bailout plans.
112 tourists from central China’s Hubei province stranded in Sanya, south China’s Hainan province, returned to Hubei by chartered plane following the novel coronavirus outbreak on Feb. 13.
The relevant departments, including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), have rolled out corresponding measures to help the tourism industry get through its current difficulties.
The ministry will refund 80 percent of the service quality deposits that travel agencies put up when opening for business, the MCT said in a statement on Feb. 6, adding that the agencies can deposit the money again within the next two years.
Local governments have also launched bailout plans for the sector. Southwest China’s Sichuan province announced 10 measures to help travel agencies resume operation while still curbing the epidemic, while east China’s Shandong province issued a notice to speed up work resumption of State-level A-class scenic spots.
Dai Bin, head of the China Tourism Academy, said that the sector will see better development due to supporting policies and huge market potential.
In the first three quarters of 2019, domestic journeys and tourism revenue surged 8.9 percent and 13 percent year on year, respectively, Dai said. What was of special note was that rural residents’ travel spending soared by 22.3 percent in the third quarter last year, Dai added.
Citizens’ tourism consumption potential has been further unleashed in recent years thanks to steady and solid progress in measures such as the reduction of ticket prices of state-owned major scenic spots and the launching of pilot national park programs, he noted.
Dai also said that huge consumption potential is promoting in-depth development of mass tourism in the country, and supporting sustainable development of the sector, as people have inelastic demands for tourism.
