According to a UN World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) report China has turned into a major driving for tourism in counties and regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road as the number of tourists in the areas along the road rose from 775,000 in 2012 to nearly 3.1 million in 2016.
As per the report which was released at the Belt and Road tourist city mayor’s summit in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, around 2.1 million came from China.
The key focus of the report was on maritime heritage and cruises and examined implications for UNWTO members.
Robert Travers, a consultant with the UNWTO Silk Road Program and author of the report mentioned that the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is expected to play a vital role for the maritime infrastructure development through regional cooperation. It is an important component of the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative and has the potential of establishing new maritime routes which is based on the ancient Maritime Silk Road heritage.
The historic silk road comprises an extensive network of maritime itineraries and will provide exceptional experiences, heritage and culture. It is primarily associated with inland routes.
Li Jinzao, China’s vice minister of culture and tourism at the summit said that the aggregate scale of international tourism along the Belt and Road accounts for around 70 percent of the global total.
Countries along the Belt and Road will brings more than 85 million tourists to China during the 2016-2020 period and more Chinese tourist will be travelling to these countries.
