After 19 years' efforts, the tourist industry in Shenzhen has make dramatic progress. Generating large amount of international tourist receipts, Shenzhen now is one of the most important tourist cities of China.
1. Framework of tourist industry has been well established.
Total fixed assets of tourist industry in Shenzhen has surpassed ¥20 billion. Tourist services of food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping and entertainment are complete and improved. There are 300 hotels at all levels aiming at various needs, among which 93 are star-rated. Shenzhen has 28 international travel agencies, 18 domestic ones, and also over 50 tour offices spread over the region, which make the places of interest accessible to tourists. Tourist attractions have formed a complex with local, natural and cultural characteristics. At present, Shenzhen boasts Splendid China, Window of the World, China Folk Culture Village, Future Time, Joy Valley, Green World, Safari Park, Silver Lake Resort, Xiangmi Lake Resort, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, Siumuisha Holiday Resort, and Guanlan Golf Club. All these attractions are visited by tens of thousands of visitors from home and abroad every year. In 1998, the number of visitors received in Shenzhen reached 15.93 million person times.
2. Tourist industry in Shenzhen is full of vitality and its economic index takes the leading position in China. The position of tourism has been continuously upgrading.
In 1998, ranking fourth in China, international tourist receipts of tourist industry in Shenzhen amounted to US$987 million, making up one third of the provincial and 8% of the national foreign tourist receipts. The international tourist arrivals to Shenzhen reached 2.3425 million, ranking third in China. Tourist industry has become the second leading economic growth point in Shenzhen, showing its influences over local economy and taking up the leading position intertiary industry. The added value of tourism income exceeds 15% of Shenzhen GDP for four consecutive years.
3. Tourist enterprises and service standard in Shenzhen tourism are relatively high.
Over 100,000 people are engaged in tourist industry. Tourist enterprises pay attention to improve their facilities and service standards. Many tourist enterprises are awarded with various titles of honor every year, such as Excellent Enterprises of China tourist Industry, May 1-Labor Award, China Models of Young Pioneers, China Top 50 Star-rated Hotels, China 100 Excellent Star-rated Hotels, China Leading Hotels with Foreign Investment, China Top 100 International Travel Agencies and China Top 100 Domestic Travel Agencies.
4. Tour products are updated steadily.
Tourist attractions, such as Splendid China. China Folk Culture Village, Safari Park and Green World, update their tour products with high tech means. They enrich their products with cultural background, which successfully ensures guests to revisit their high standard cultural products and maintains its share in the tourism market. Shenzhen sticks to its rules of high standard and sustainable development in terms of tourism resources exploitation. The city introduces products, which are new, different, unique and have a feature of environmental protection, such as route of Shghts of Reform and Opening-up and industry tours.
5. Tourism management and operation is lawful and standardized.
Having been discussed and approved by Shenzhen Standing Committee, Shenzhen revised and passed "the Ninth Five-year Plan and 2010 Strategic Development Program of Shenzhen Tourist Industry", which will play a vital role in guiding the future development of tourist industry in Shenzhen. Shenzhen also enacted and enforced local laws and administrative regulations, such as Managerial Regulations of Tourist Industry in Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, Rules of Points-recording System over Travel Agencies violating Discipline, and Managerial Regulations of One-day Tour in Shenzhen. Being the first in China, it established supervision system at three levels: city supervision (Supervision Office), district supervision (Supervision Branch), and enterprise supervision (Supervisors). The system guarantees the tourism market to be in order and the tours are of quality service. Shenzhen aims to fight against illegal activities in tourist industry and purify tourism environment.
6. Tourism related industries develop rapidly.
The infrastructures, city functions, and investment environment of Shenzhen are being perfected. At present, Shenzhen has 310.3 square kilometers area of city proper completed in construction, 3.387 million tons of daily water supply capacity, 3.27 million-kilowatt installed electricity capacity and an installed capacity of 1.6748 million telephones and 1.36 million mobile phones. There are q2 ports of category. A at state level in Shenzhen, among, which Huanggang Port is the largest land port in China. Futian, Shatoujiao, and Yantian Tax-bond zone, and Longgang Big Industry zone are also set up. Shenzhen Port is one of the eight big ports in China, and handled the volume of freight of 34.44 million tons in 1998. Yantian Port is the second largest container terminal, with the handling capacity of 1.952 million standard containers in 1998. Shenzhen further simplifies the procedures and improves work efficiency and decdes to treat foreign staff members and enterprises with foreign investment in Shenzhen in the same way as it treats Chines.