Last year 74 million Chinese visited the country's natural and historical wonders, according to the National Tourism Administration. Most travelers are professionals, earning relatively high wages and able to afford good, if not luxury, hotels. But growing numbers of average workers such as Ren, who lives with her parents are opting to spend their extra yuan by hitting the road. But two years ago, in an effort to boost consumer spending, Beijing established three week-long holidays through the year. No one country has this many domestic travelers.
Private entrepreneurs are at the forefront of change.
In April, Shen's agency booked a record 60,000 hotel rooms for travelers a tenfold increase from last year. Encouraged, he recently bought a traditional travel agency with 200 employees. But nevertheless, this is a new group of domestic business for us. The newly mobile worker is not the only traveler making an impact on the domestic holiday industry. Professionals are also traveling more and doing do in some style.