Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ　Ｔｏｕｒｉｓｍ　Ｇｒｏｕｐ：Ｍａｋｉｎｇ　Ｉｔ　Ｂｉｇ　Ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ　Ｌａｔｅｒａ.docVIP

Ｂｅｉｊｉｎｇ　Ｔｏｕｒｉｓｍ　Ｇｒｏｕｐ：Ｍａｋｉｎｇ　Ｉｔ　Ｂｉｇ　Ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ　Ｌａｔｅｒａ 　　TOURISM was the first industry opening to the outside world, and also a field contested by all forces, including private, foreign and state-owned enterprises. In the showdown, Beijing Tourism Group (BTG) has sustained its lead by a big margin. 　　In 2008, despite the impacts of the Wenchuan Earthquake and the global financial crisis, BTG racked up revenues of RMB 22 billion, equal to 10 percent of that generated by Beijing’s entire tourism industry. This was an increase of RMB 1.6 billion, or 7.84 percent, over the previous year. According to 2008 statistics from the National Statistical Bureau, BTG ranked 188th among China’s top 500 enterprises. 　　 　　Regrouping: 　　A Platform for Striding Development 　　 　　The Beijing Tourism Group Co., Ltd., founded in 1998, has restructured twice. In 1999, some Beijing-based tourism enterprises under the National Tourism Administration and other ministries and commissions were merged into what was then known as BTG. From a simple administration office, it soon developed into an enterprise with a modern corporate governance structure and scientific management mode. 　　In 2004, BTG merged with four other state-owned enterprises to form the new BTG, those new partners being Beijing New Yansha Group, Quanjude Group, Antique City Market Group and Donglai-shun Group. 　　 “Merging and strategic regrouping have provided us chances to expand, and so we’ve grabbed the chances and taken the enterprise places we could never have reached through natural expansion,” remarked Duan Qiang, chairman of the BTG, recalling the two mergers. “Scale of operation makes a big difference,” he added. 　　BTG’s total assets increased from RMB 8.326 billion in 1998 to RMB 26.975 billion in 2008, representing an annual increase of 11.23 percent; and over the same period its annual gross profits grew from RMB 100 million to RMB 1.257 billion, an average of 25.88 percent per annum. 　　 　　Specialization of