China through the eyes of an Italian tourism expert

Photo taken on Dec 18, 2014 shows Dr. Corrado Politi attending the event celebrating the first intercontinental airline from Kunming to Paris. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

Impressed by China's rapid development

Dr. Politi regards first solo trek in 1984 along the Silk Road, from Beijing to Urumqi, as one of the big adventures of his life. The tall skyscrapers that have sprung up around China in recent years since that trip impress him, and he has praised the efforts of the government to protect the environment and begin charting a path of sustainable development. He was also astonished by the development of villages in China, saying he never saw anything of the same scale in his country.

"I was surprised to see that in a compound of a town called Taiping in Yunnan province, there are 3906 flats, each with solar energy on the roof and enjoy 24-hour hot water supply." He added that China has developed its economy in a clean and efficient way.

Dr. Politi is optimistic about some of the existing problems in China's tourism sector, such as the misbehavior of Chinese tourists. He believes most are cultivated and respectful, but cultural differences sometimes cause problems — the reason why we need to build bridges to better foster understanding. "The overall Chinese image will not be changed," he added.

"A good idea is like a butterfly"

"If you want more tourists to come to China, make it easy for them." Dr. Politi provided his insights on Chinese tourism.

1. OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2016 development program suggests simplifying visa and entry processes to improve the competiveness of destinations as places to visit and to do business, along with allowing driving licenses. Many European tourists prefer driving with their families rather than traveling with a group.

2. Make special policies for the retired. Compared with younger people, they have more spare time and money to enjoy different cultures. They may prefer to rent a house and live there for a few months.

3. China needs more market-oriented tourism products, improved tourism services, and should develop a unique image to attract world tourists. Some suggestions are tourism apps in English and niche-interest tours: agri-tourism, cultural tourism and shopping tourism. Dr. Politi is now working on an EU-China Urbanization Partnership on resource-efficient urban agriculture.

4. Promoting cross-border tourism cooperation. Since China and other ASEAN countries have the benefit of many historic relics and world heritage sites, along with similar protection needs, cross-border cooperation among the ASEAN countries can tap the region's full potential.