Boost domestic tourism through shopping, tours: officials

China must tempt domestic tourists to spend more on shopping and come up with more tours targeting the young and old if it is to meet its targets for the industry, officials from the tourism authority and the top economic planner have said.

In August, the State Council released a guideline to boost tourism in China, vowing to drive up domestic tourist consumption to 5.5 trillion yuan (895 billion U.S. dollars) by 2020.

China needs more tourists goods that are "attractive and culturally distinct," said Peng Decheng of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) in an interview with www.gov.cn on Monday.

Peng cited agricultural products as an example of goods with appeal to tourists, and said that rural tourism more broadly is an important growth market.

The tourism sector must also attract more private capital into building retail areas, and authorities must streamline tax rebates, according to the CNTA official.

Peng Fuwei of the National Development and Reform Commission likewise believes it is essential that China nurtures new growth points in tourism.

Organized school trips as well as itineraries for senior travelers should become major focuses, he said.

A report by the China Tourism Academy last week forecast that China will see its tourism deficit exceed 100 billion U.S. dollars this year as Chinese traveling overseas spend much more than foreign visitors back home.

Meanwhile, tourist shopping accounts for about 30 percent of total tourist consumption in China, whereas the percentage in other countries could be as high as 60 percent, according to Peng Decheng.