2008年第一季度末，中国网民数量已经超过美国，成为全球网民第一大国。

　　与此同时，中国的旅游业也高速发展。中国旅游业规划发展目标为：2010年,实现国际旅游收入530亿美元,国内旅游收入8500亿元,旅游总收入12700亿元,旅游直接就业人数达到1000万人。据国家旅游局公布的数据，2007年中国旅游业总收入达1.09万亿元，首次突破1万亿元。

　　中国在线旅游预订市场发展迅速，综合调查统计数据显示：将上网查询作为了解旅游信息主要渠道的网民比例已达66．7％。其中通过互联网预订过酒店的用户占70.2%、预订过机票的用户占70.7%、预订了度假产品的占20.3%。随着网上旅游相关业务的多元化，各网上旅行预订服务商推出的综合旅游产品，逐渐受到用户的青睐，还将有更多的网民使用网上旅行预订服务。2007年中国在线旅游预订市场保持健康增长，市场规模达到25.5亿元人民币，较2006年增长65.4%。受奥运因素推动以及商旅、私人旅行市场的发展，预计2008年在线旅游市场规模达43.8亿元，同比增长70.9%。

　　在线旅游服务商在人们的旅游生活中扮演了愈来愈重要的角色，在线旅游服务商的收入在旅游行业总收入的比重也在逐步增加。预测到2010年中国网络旅游服务商收入规模将达到54.7亿元，

　　在线旅游服务商主要分为两类：一类是旅游预订网站，主要提供预订机票、酒店、旅游线路等旅游度假产品及服务的平台；另一类是旅游资讯网站，以提供旅游类资讯、信息及其他交流平台为主要业务的网站。其中旅游预订网站的总体收入要远远大于旅游资讯类网站。

　　旅游网站能够将旅游与电子商务的价值在更高层面上得以升华，使旅游业的经营管理、服务消费、研发创新等活动在网络的背景下产生新的方式及流程。旅游网站所提供的信息和服务已经成为许多游客出行前必要的选择和参考，只是目前网站的各方面还不够完善、游客还不能完全依赖网站来进行旅游活动的策划和消费。相对于2007年美国在线旅游市场总值达到910亿美元，我们既可以看到中国在线旅游行业的不足，更可以看到美好的未来。

2007年Q4旅游预订网站关注度排行
 
数据来源：百度数据研究中心，2008.1

By the end of the first quarter of 2008, the number of netizens in China has surpassed the United States of America, and China has become the largest country in the world in terms of the number of netizens.

Meanwhile, China's tourism industry has developed rapidly. According to the plan for China tourism industry, China is expected to achieve US$53 billion in revenue from international tourism and CNY850 billion in revenue from domestic tourism respectively in 2010 to make its total revenue reach CNY1.27 trillion by then. China is also forecast to have ten million people employed in the tourism industry by the end of the decade. In the light of the statistics from the
China National Tourism Administration, the total revenue of China tourism industry in 2007 reached CNY1.09 trillion, breaking CNY1 mark for the first time.

China online travel booking market has developed rapidly. According to the statistics by a comprehensive survey, the number of netizens taking internet as the main channel to get tourism information accounted for 66.7% of China’s total, that of netizens who have made a hotel reservation by internet amounted to 70.2% of China’s total, that of netizens who have booked air tickets by internet accounted for 70.7% of China’s total and that of netizens who have booked holiday products by internet amounted to 20.3% of China’s total. With the diversification of online business related to travel, online travel booking service providers have rolled out integrated tourism products, which are becoming more and more popular among netizens. It is expected that more netizens will use online travel booking services. The year of 2007 witnessed a healthy growth in online travel booking market in China, and the market size amounted to CNY2.55 billion, up 65.4% year-on-year. Stimulated by 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as the development of business travel and private travel market, it is forecasted that the online travel market size will reach CNY4.38 billion in 2008, rising 70.9% against a year earlier.

Online travel service providers are playing an increasingly important role in people’s travel life, and their revenue proportion to the total of China tourism industry is also gradually increasing. It is forecasted that the revenue of China’s online travel service providers will reach CNY5.47 billion in 2010.

Online travel service providers are mainly divided into two categories. One is travel booking websites, providing booking air tickets & hotels and tourist routes as well as service platform. The other is travel information websites, mainly offering travel information and exchange platform. Generally, the revenue of travel booking websites is much larger than travel information websites.

Rank of Travel Booking Websites by Attention, Q4 2007 
 
Source: Statistics Research Center of Baidu, Jan 2008

The travel websites can upgrade the value of traveling and e-commerce and make operations management, tourist service, research and innovation under the background of network create new approach and work flows. Information and services provided by travel websites have become the necessary selection and reference for many travelers before their journey. However, travelers can not rely on websites totally to plan their travel activities and consumption, as these websites are still not prefect in various aspects. The total value of the U.S. online travel market amounted to US$91 billion in 2007, from which we can see the shortage of China's online tourism industry and meanwhile, we can also see it the bright future is foreseeable.