China to become world's largest theme park market by 2020

Sand sculpture artists work at a sand sculpture theme park in Binzhou High-tech Development Zone of east China's Shandong Province, July 19, 2017. China is slated to become world's largest theme park market by 2020, when the number of tourists is expected to exceed 230 million, according to a fresh report by U.S. engineering firm AECOM. The number of tourists to Chinese theme parks have seen an average annual growth of 13 percent in the past decade, and reached 190 million in 2017. The number is expected to keep the double digit growth in the following years, according to the report. The report attributes the rapid growth to Chinese consumers' rising income that sparks greater demands on leisure activities, as well as more convenient public transportation systems. (Xinhua/Chu Baorui)