China steps up paid-leave for employees

China's National Tourism Administration on Monday said the country will continue to complete its paid-leave policy, and ensure that every employee can get paid leave by 2020. The move is expected to further boost the contribution of the tourism industry to China's GDP growth. The news comes as the tourism revenue from this year's spring festival reached nearly 117 billion yuan, or 18 billion U.S. dollars.

China's paid-leave policy kicked off in 1994. Twenty years later, although the labour law imposes 5 to 15 days of paid leave for employees, the practice in real life looks different. The National Day holiday in October and the Spring Festival holiday are the two "golden weeks" for Chinese people to plan their holidays.

But trips during these two holidays are neither easy nor comfortable, as the majority of the population is on the move.

Analysts say the National Tourism Administration's goal, which aims to implement the paid-leave policy by 2020, is likely to solve this issue and allow Chinese workers to enjoy more leisure time.

Dai Bin, President, China Tourism Academy, said, "In my view, the emphasis on the paid-leave policy could solve the problem and give people the freedom to choose their holiday times. In fact, time and money are two key factors for tourism and leisure. I think it is a good step forward."

Dai also said if the goal can be reached as scheduled, there will be around 4 to 5 billion Chinese people travelling both at home and abroad annually by 2020, which will boost the country's tourism revenue.