China, a budding market for ecotourism

If your business is within the tourism industry, now is the time to focus on marketing towards Chinese tourists. It is the first week of February, one week away from the Chinese February 15-19 “Spring Festival”, and tourists are most likely finalizing their trip itineraries. As an emerging player in the tourism market, China is favouring responsible tourism and ecotourism, with 2009 declared ‘Chinese Ecotourism Year’ with the slogan “be a green traveller and experience eco-civilization”.

Environmental awareness has had a slow start in China but has picked up its pace, as factory pollution, waste incinerators and dam relocations now result in thousands of protests annually. In civil society, green NGOs have also increased in number and influence.

Along these lines, this year, China is hosting the World Expo 2010, in Shanghai, from May 1 to October 31, under the theme "Better City, Better Life". The expo will see exhibitions, events and forums as Shanghai hopes to build a powerful and lasting pilot example of sustainable and harmonious urban living.

This trend towards sustainability is reflected by a quest for eco-friendly holidays. At the end of last year, China awarded Kenya as the best global destination for ecotourism and the third best overseas destination for the people of China. The number of Chinese visitors to Kenya increased by 27% in 2007 and then again by 12% during the first nine months of 2009.

More and more Chinese are now financially able to travel and demonstrating a commitment to environmental causes which they want to reflect in their destination of choice. According to the China National Tourism Association, domestic tourism numbers doubled between 1996 and 2000, and between 2008 and 2009, they rose by 11% to 1.9 billion. International travellers from China reached 47.5 million in 2009.