The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) has conducted research, which has revealed that within the next decade, Beijing will overtake Paris to become the world’s largest Travel & Tourism city destination.
WTTC’s Cities Economic Impact Report analysed 82 cities around the world, including four major Chinese metropolises, and analysed key indicators such as Travel & Tourism’s contribution to GDP, employment and traveller spend.
The report, sponsored by Visa and researched in partnership with Oxford Economics, also studied the impact of the Travel & Tourism sector in four major cities across China; Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Shanghai and found a mixed picture across the four city destinations.
“In all four cities, the sector’s GDP contribution last year almost fully recovered back to 2019 levels. The GDP contribution from the sector to Beijing and Chengdu’s economy in 2022 was just 4% and 2% below 2019 levels, respectively ($34BN and $5.4BN), compared to $31BN and $5.5BN,” said the report.
According to Time Out, the value of Paris’ tourism and travel sector currently stands at about $36 billion, with Beijing currently sitting at $33 billion. However, the WTTC says that Beijing’s travel industry will soon surge to a whopping $77 billion.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO, said that China has long been a world-favourite holiday destination, and after more than two years of disruption, it’s great to see tourists heading back.
“Tourists provide a massive boost to both the economy and job creation. It is crucial that the national and local governments continue to recognise the importance of Travel & Tourism for the local and national economies, jobs and businesses,” said Simpson.
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