The popularity of
travel and tourism,
has spread to China,
and other rapidly
developing
economies
in Asia.
Meeting CO2 emissions
targets, while people
increasing participate
in tourism and leisure,
is a big problem.
Travel and tourism
is one of the world’s
largest, and fastest
growing, industries.
Leisure travelers
will increase a lot
in coming decades,
as more families reach
middle-class status,
for the first time.
All modern societies
have had increasing
demand for travel,
usually for leisure,
as incomes rose.
Travel to learn more
about the world, and
experience new places,
may be a human instinct.
People love to talk about
their travels at parties.
Rising leisure travel
will make one of the
largest contributions
to rising energy
consumption, and
carbon dioxide
emissions,
through 2050.
Much of the increase
will be from people
living in Asia, the
Middle East, Africa
and Latin America.
CHINA TRAVEL BOOM
China’s railway
passenger traffic
has been growing
at a +6% annual rate
( doubling every 12 years )
since 1990,
while their air travel
has been growing
at a +15% annual rate.
( doubling every five years )
Growing travel leads to
massive investments
in rail networks, including
long-distance high-speed
systems, airports and
aircraft.
The investments boosted
capacity, reduced travel times,
and encouraged a surge
of travel within China too,
much of it leisure-related.
China’s rail network
grew to
127,000 kilometers
( 78,914 miles )
in 2017, up from
78,000 kilometers in 2007,
66,000 kilometers in 1997,
( NBS -- National Bureau of Statistics )
The high-speed rail network
grew from less than
1,000 kilometers in 2008
to more than
25,000 kilometers by 2017.
( Annual statistical yearbook, NBS, 2018 )
Air routes have
more than quadrupled
since 2000, while the
number of aircraft
in use has risen five-fold.
Growth in overseas travel
by China’s middle class
is soaring.
China’s residents made
143 million trips
overseas in 2017
up from 41 million in 2007,
and 5 million in 1997,
according to the World
Tourism Organization.
India’s residents made
just 26 million trips overseas
in 2018 compared with
70 million for the United Kingdom
and 93 million for the U.S.