This paper reviews the history of tourism administrations’ function transition at both national and local level，and analyzes the challenges and opportunities underlying in the process. In conclusion，it proposes that tourism administration’s function transition can be explored in the following five aspects：extending management function on the basis of the tourists’ demand；exploring in-course and afterward supervision；taking tourism public service provision as the orientation for function transition；outlining and regularizing tourism industry supply in major sectors；designating scientifically the different types of tourism administrations’ function.