China's tourism sector needs sustainable growth

Steadiness,sustainability needed

The general outlook of China's tourism sector is rosy, but market players directly feeling the pulse of tourism trends pointed out there is still a long way to go for China to be a real and sustainable tourism superpower.

The biggest challenge facing China's tourism market is oversupply, especially in the accommodation sector, said Duan Qiang, Chairman of Beijing Tourism Group.

The days have gone when a few star hotels could easily make hefty profits, said Duan, adding that now most of them only score marginal profits with a surging number of players grabbing a piece of the cake.

Over-reliance on government and public money is no longer sustainable, and service quality has to be improved, he said.

While rising income enables the middle class to spend more on travel and tourism, an unsound social security network may dampen their willingness to enjoy more and longer travels, said David G. Brooks, chairman for Greater China at Coca Cola.

Sustainability is another major concern, Brooks added.

"We should bear in mind that the tourism business is about tomorrow tourism. You should take into account profits, people and the planet in tourism development," said Ken Chu, Chairman & CEO of Mission Hills Group.