Tourism, Security and Safety From Theory to Practice

Conclusion
There was hardly any international tourism in China before the Chinese government’s
decision to open the country to the outside world, and to promote tourism as a vital
economic force to earn foreign exchange to help finance its modernization program.
With the introduction of reform and the open-door policy since 1978, China entered
the international tourist market. In recent decades, tourism has been a boom industry
in China, and has come to play an extremely significant role in economic and
regional development, as well as in international relations. It has become one of the
most important tourist destinations in the world. In 2002, it ranked fifth in the world,
showing a substantial increase over the total international tourist arrivals achieved
during the initial stage of tourism development.
The spectacular boom experienced during this period was partly due to the fact
that initial policies affecting tourism were directed toward maximizing growth
rates of visitor arrivals, especially foreign travelers. However, unlike the domestic
and compatriot tourism industry, which is conditioned largely by location and
access, the foreign tourism market is competitive and risky; it is highly dependent
upon fashion trends and political, economic, and social stability. Experience and
Tourism Security and Safety: From Theory to Practice
204
H7898_Ch11.qxd 8/24/05 8:47 AM Page 204

---

studies have shown that the special character of the tourism industry makes it more
liable to independent events than other sectors. It is vulnerable to variations in pol-
itics and economics, as well as any major change in policy or ideology, and these
changes can significantly modify its development process. However, until now
there is no evidence that China might want to change its reform and open-door pol-
icy; on the contrary, major policies within the tourism sector show a greater open-
ness to the outside world. The increased dependence on tourism as a source of
economic growth also shows that it would be extremely difficult for China to halt
tourism development. The WTO estimates that China will receive 130 million for-
eign tourists by 2020, making China the world’s number one tourist destination.