A food exhibition in Beijing, which aims to become a world exhibition city. [China Daily]
Drafting the right blueprint to make Beijing a world-class destination tops the agenda for local tourism officials, who have set an ambitious goal for the capital to play host to more than 10 million international visitors annually.
"We are working hard to increase our tourism income to contribute at least 10 percent of Beijing's GDP, and reap an annual income of more than $10 billion from foreign tourists," Ding Xiangyang, Beijing vice-mayor, said during the Global Tourism and Travel Summit on Wednesday.
"We hope to receive more than 10 million international travelers and at least 200 million Chinese tourists coming to Beijing annually in the near future," Ding added.
Despite that positive outlook, Ding pointed out the challenges faced by Beijing's tourism industry.
Beijing lacks a sufficient supply of recreational tourist projects such as theme parks like Disneyland as well as high-end tourist products such as convention and exhibition events.
International events and global conferences are considered an important part of the high-end tourist development strategy, said Zhang Huiguang, director of the Beijing Tourism Administration.
"Beijing held more than 220,000 international and domestic conferences with a direct income of 13.18 billion yuan last year," Zhang said.
"To achieve our goal, we will actively organize various global events, strengthen the strategic cooperation with international tourism organizations, and continuously step up the internationalization of the Beijing tourism market," she added.
On the other hand, the international tourism experts from outside China suggested Beijing should develop its human capital - and capitalize on its strong cultural attributes.
"If you want to attract more foreigners, you have to speak English," said Jean-Claude Baumgarten, chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council.
Baumgarten also said building professional teams - including those operating hotels and airlines - to properly manage the industry, are important to the development of Beijing's tourism industry.
Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, said Beijing needs to emphasize its uniqueness and find a special hook.
"I don't need to come to Beijing to see entertainment I already have in Las Vegas", Dow said. "They (Beijing tourism officials) should make the city very unique, a place like nowhere else."
Dow also noted that a push by destinations to attract only the rich is bound to fail. The middle class is a critical component of the industry, he noted.
"The development of tourism should be for everybody, not just for rich people," he said.
