00:00The World Travel Market in London, one of the industry's most prominent gatherings.
00:07There was a buzz here as travel experts celebrate a rapid rebound from the pandemic.
00:13Data from Oxford Economics shows that traveller numbers and spending this year
00:18are on track to outpace pre-pandemic levels.
00:22It's a pretty universal picture we're seeing in terms of the growth, in terms of the recovery.
00:28It has been those countries that opened up earlier.
00:31It has been sort of the developed economies have led the way.
00:35What we're seeing now that's not come back yet has been the Chinese traveller
00:39and also from some other parts of Asia just due to some of the slower opening up
00:43and a little bit more caution amongst those travellers.
00:45But that is now the fastest growing segment of travel,
00:48the fastest growing source market would be China.
00:52We expect a return to 2019 levels of Chinese travel by about 2026.
00:59While global travel companies set their sights on Chinese tourists,
01:03China itself is equally eager to attract international visitors,
01:08showcasing its rich tourism landscape with traditional performances.
01:13Recently the country has expanded its visa-free policies to additional countries
01:18including Slovakia, Norway and Finland.
01:21We're rolling out new travel packages to match China's updated visa-free policies.
01:27With most countries offering 15-day stays, we're designing 15-day itineraries to fit in.
01:33Customers from different countries may have different preferences.
01:36For instance, our European clients prefer more in-depth experiences.
01:40They are particularly drawn to places like northern China's Datong,
01:43a destination rich in cultural heritage.
01:46Before the pandemic in 2019, the World Travel and Tourism Council said
01:51global tourism spending reached an historic high, accounting for over 10% of global GDP.
01:58Industry leaders now expect that momentum to pick up and continue for years to come.
02:04But as the sector returns to growth, experts say there must be more focus on sustainability.
02:11I think that there's a lack of consistency or industry standard in terms of sustainability certification.
02:17Different countries, different hotels, different partners are actually adopting different certifications or standards.
02:22I think that's creating some kind of inconsistency and inappropriate practices across different partners itself.
02:28Global tourism is back in full flight, but the journey ahead brings fresh challenges and high stakes.
02:35And the industry aims to capture hearts and markets worldwide.
02:39The real question is how to make the industry more sustainable in the face of climate change.
02:44Li Jianhua, CGTN, London.
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