Chinese Tourism
What struck me while visiting Beijing were the many Chinese making up for the majority of visitors. With the vastness of the country and people, history and living standard, it only seemed natural. Later I realized this actually had everything to do with politics. To give some statistics, in 2000 the number of foreign arrivals to China first surpassed 10 million, while domestic tourists totalled a stunning 744 million. In Y2k the State Council issued a decree allowing nationals to enjoy three "golden weeks" around Spring Festival, Labour Day and National Day, thus boosting domestic tourism. Add to that the ban on the Chinese to travel outside countries which are granted "Approved Destination Status" (and within only in groups, actually), and you get the picture.