Chinese Tourism Shapes Travel Industries

The large volume of Chinese travelers is shaping international tourism, The Wall Street Journal is reporting. The popular resort chain Club Méditerranée, known to most as Club Med, was afforded $719 million dollars from Chinese backed investors last month.

CEO of Club Med North America, Xavier Mufraggi, told The Wall Street Journal that the money is meant to invest in accommodating Chinese travelers, who will soon be the largest number of tourists in the world.

The growth in tourism is due in part to a more lenient Chinese government, and has allowed for more than 80 million travelers from the country, according to TIME Magazine.

Some of the changes that hotels are making are in their menu, with high-end establishments like the Ritz-Carlton and Intercontinental Marriotts are adding authentic Chinese items like the rice dish, congee.

TIME Magazine also cites one example in which Hiltons around the world have begun to showcase oranges and tangerines, Chinese symbols of luck, in main rooms of the hotel.

With tourism as a major source of economic growth in many cities, catering to the largest population of travelers in the world seems like a logical next step to many within the industry.