May 19th, 2011 (April 17th, 2011 in the lunar calendar), the first China Tourism Day. On March 30, 2011, the executive meeting of the State Council passed a resolution. Since 2011, May 19th of each year will be "China Tourism Day". China Tourism Day originated on May 19th, 2001. Ma Shaoqin, a native of Ninghai, Zhejiang Province, issued an initiative to set up "China Tourism Day" to the society in the name of Ninghai Xu Xiake Tourism Club, and suggested that the opening date (May 19th) of the first chapter of Xu Xiake's Travel Notes, Diary of Visiting Tiantai Mountain, should be named China Tourism Day. In 1983, China became a member of the World Tourism Organization; In 1985, China decided that a province, municipality and autonomous region would be the main venue for the celebration of World Tourism Day every year. Since then, the tourism academic circles and industries have discussed whether China should also have a "China Tourism Day". In 1987, an article in Tourism World proposed the establishment of "China Tourism Festival"; In 1999, inspired by World Tourism Day, some people proposed to set up "China Tourism Day". On May 19th, 2001, Ma Shaoqin, a native of Ninghai, Zhejiang Province, issued an initiative to set up "China Tourism Day" in the name of Ninghai Xu Xiake Tourism Club: "As a country with big tourism resources to a world tourism power, China should have its own tourism anniversary. We propose that the opening date (May 19th) of the first chapter of Xu Xiake's Travels should be named 'China Tourism Day', so as to make an eternal memory and commemoration of Xu Xiake and encourage the people of the whole country to stride towards a world tourism power." From May 19th, 2002 to January 2010, Ninghai County held seven consecutive "China Xu Xiake Opening Festival". After the national solicitation date scheme, Ninghai has officially applied to the National Tourism Administration on May 19th as a candidate date. In 2007 and 2008, representatives from 12 cities in 7 provinces and autonomous regions, including Zhejiang, Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangxi and Yunnan, jointly signed the Declaration on Tourism Cooperation of Xu Xiake Tourism Belt at the Xu Xiake Tourism Belt Cooperation Summit, and jointly called for May 19th, the opening date of Xu Xiake Travels, to be designated as China Tourism Day. On March 17th, 2008, Zhejiang Tourism Bureau specially wrote to the National Tourism Administration, requesting that May 19th be designated as China Tourism Day. On June 16th, 2008, the National Tourism Administration convened leaders of relevant departments in Zhejiang and Jiangsu, leaders of Ninghai County Tourism Bureau, and a group of experts and scholars to hold a demonstration meeting of "China Tourism Day" in Beijing. Most experts at the meeting thought that it was more appropriate to take the opening day of Xu Xiake's Travels, that is, May 19th, or the third Sunday in May, as "China Tourism Day". They said that the choice of "May 19th" for China Tourism Day is not only Xu Xiake's lofty status, but also the fact that China has a vast territory and a huge climate difference between the north and the south. May 19th, no matter the east, west, north and south, is a golden season suitable for traveling. On February 12th, 2009, Zhejiang Province held a tourism development conference, and the National Tourism Administration and Zhejiang Province signed a memorandum of close cooperation mechanism between the bureau and the province, which mentioned that the National Tourism Administration supported the designation of May 19th, the opening date of Xu Xiake's Travels, as "China Tourism Day". On December 1, 2009, the State Council issued the Opinions on Accelerating the Development of Tourism, and put forward the requirement of setting up "China Tourism Day". On December 4, 2009, the National Tourism Administration officially launched the work related to the establishment of "China Tourism Day". After the national solicitation date scheme, many regions rushed to apply. It has been 10 years since the initiative was initiated by local and non-governmental organizations, which has attracted the attention of the whole society, and finally the establishment of "China Tourism Day" by relevant state institutions. In December, 2009, the National Tourism Administration's "China Tourism Day Collection and Planning Special Working Committee" authorized Sina.com to conduct a special investigation on the establishment date of China Tourism Day. On March 30th, 2011, the executive meeting of the State Council passed a resolution, and China officially established the National Tourism Day, which was determined to be May 19th. This day is the opening day of Xu Xiake's Travels, and it is also the day when Ninghai County holds the "Xu Xiake Opening Festival in Ninghai, China" every year. Ninghai has been calling for May 19th as "China Tourism Day" for 10 years. On the morning of March 30th, 2011, the executive meeting of the State Council passed a resolution to designate May 19th, the opening date of Xu Xiake's Travels, as "China Tourism Day".