Tourism in China

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Tourism in China has greatly expanded over the last few decades. The emergence of a newly rich business class and an easing of restrictions on movement by the Chinese authorities are both fuelling this boom in travel - within China and increasingly beyond it too. The Republic of China (Taiwan) also has many options for tourists, including the cities of Taipei and Kaohsiung, but travel between Taiwan and Mainland China is still restrictively regulated due to diplomatic tensions.

Contents 1 Organization 2 Language 3 Famous tourism sites 3.1 Hainan Island 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Organization

Tourism is still controlled. In the last few years, the Chinese government has negotiated a series of agreements with selected countries. These limit tourism to officially-approved tour groups, partly to give the host country protection against illegal migrants, and in general to allow the state to control any aspect of tourism which it feels in need to regulate. Individual tourism is still rare within China. Tourists visiting China, for the most part, are allowed to move freely.

[edit] Language

Even though English is becoming more and more popular in China, most Chinese people do not understand English. Mandarin is virtually universal in Mainland China, though many dialects do exist, with some, like Cantonese having millions of speakers. Although many Chinese do not speak English, due to the educational system many Chinese near and in urban areas can read and write, even though they may have difficulty with spoken English.

[edit] Famous tourism sites

[edit] Hainan Island

Hainan Island, sometimes referred to as "Hawaii of the Orient" is located off the south coast of mainland China. It hosts most of China's tropical resorts, and because of this, is extremely popular with mainland Chinese, as well as those from Hong Kong and nearby Asian countries. During the past few years, the Chinese government has heavily promoted Hainan Island as a world class resort with beaches and golf courses which are plentiful on Hainan Island. In addition, the ability to visit traditional Li and Miao cultural villages, hike among lush tropical rainforests and mountainsides, and visit significant cultural artifacts from long ago dynasties, has had a significant effect on tourism on the island. The Chinese and Hainan governments intend to continue to spend a great deal of money on infrastructure (December 2004 completion of Hainan to mainland China train; and, around the island expressways for cars and buses) and promotion of Hainan Island.

[edit] See also

• Individual Visit Scheme - allowing travellers from mainland China to visit Hong Kong
• Tourist attractions of Beijing
• Tourism in Hong Kong
• Culture of China
• List of popular tourist regions

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• China tours
• Great Wall of China information and maps
• China travel guide from Wikitravel
• China Tourist Attractions
• The Phenomena of Collective Travel by Tom Carter Magazine article about Chinese tour groups