China National Tourism Administration is directly regulated by the state council,. Its functions are to formulate policies and establish systems for developing tourism, draw up development plans, organize foreign publicity and issue tourism information, and supervise and examine the implementation of policies and plans. China National Tourism Administration has branches in all provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, as well as offices in Tokyo, New York, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Sydney, Switzerland, Madrid, Osaka, Toronto, Singapore and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

There are travel agencies in every city in China. Among them, the following three major agencies host and make arrangements for tourists coming to China:

China International Travel Service With headquarters in Beijing and branches in all provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities and some of the open cities, it specially serves foreign tourists.

China Travel Service and the Overseas Chinese Travel Service of China Both cater to overseas Chinese residents, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan compatriots, and foreign Chinese returning as tourists or to visit relatives. Both are headquartered in Beijing, and have branches in open cities, open areas and hometowns of overseas Chinese, as well as permanent offices in Hong Kong, Macao and Thailand.

Picture a land beyond all preconceived notions; a land encompassing lush tropical rainforests, towering snow-covered mountains, roaring rivers and wild rapids. It is also a land of breathtaking rice terraces, unspoiled rural villages and placid lakes to soothe the soul. And yet, it is also a land of skyscraping cities, luxury hotels and wonderful restaurants.

Picture China, site of the 2008 Olympic Games. Yet China's history goes back more than 5,000 years. China boasts some of the most revered treasures of the ancient world. Temples and pagodas speak of millennia of history, contemplation and culture. China has 28 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the 6,700-km-long Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors, entombed for centuries with the First Emperor.

Among these remnants of time past, you find the roots of dynamic 21st century China.
China is a big tourism country in Asia. Tourism is important industry in the country's social economy. In 2000, China tourism revenue is over RMB450 billion, about 5.05% of GDP. Chinese government has decided to build tourism as growth point of economy. China tourism is comprehensively affecting many areas including: promoting domestic demands, expanding consumption, increasing foreign exchange, reforming industry structure, increasing employment, eradicating poorness, enhancing spiritual and civilized construction and meeting the physical and spiritual demands.

The main responsibility of CNTA:

1.Studying out guidelines, policies and plan of tourism development, studying out regulation and supervising tourism;

2.Studying out strategy to develop international tourism, organizing important promotions and publicizing whole identity of the national tourism, organizing and directing development of important tourism products;

3.Studying out domestic tourism strategy and directing implementation, directing regional tourism;

4.Organizing investigation of tourism resources, directing planning and developing important tourism regions;

5.Studying out service and infrastructure qualities of scenes and organizing implementation; approving international traveling agencies, organizing and directing the build-up of tourism sites;

6.Studying out out-bound tourism policy and implementation, responsible for foreign and Hong Kong and Marco and Taiwan affairs, representing China to sign international agreement, guiding co-operations with other countries;

7. Supervising tourism market and service quality;

8.Directing tourism education, training and studying out license system and implementation.

CNTA has 6 departments: General Administration, Policy and Legal Department, Marketing & Communications Department, Industry Management Department, Planning and Finance Department, Human resources Department. CNTA has set up 13 overseas offices in important tourist generating countries. CNTA co-operates with central government and regional government closely to promote tourism economy and related industries. CNTA also works with tourist association, tourism enterprises and foreign tourism organizations to promote China as the destination of tourism worldwide.