cyphercide
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Chinese data points usually skew upwards, at least in absolute numbers. More cars, more factories, more houses (whether needed or not). Not so in tourism: the number of foreigners coming to China took a sudden fall in the first half of 2013. The Associated Press reports that overall arrivals dropped by 5% to just under 13 million in the year to June 30. This figure includes tourists, residents and business travellers; China, the third largest destination for travellers after France and the U.S., saw a drop in arrivals from all regions. What happened to drive away the masses? Try eye-stinging air pollution in January that sent particle monitors at the U.S. embassy in Beijing into ‘crazy-bad’ territory for weeks on end, a spectacle captured and relayed by Chinese and Western media to a world that recognises a gross-out when it sees it.
Air pollution wasn’t the only bad news emanating from China. There was international coverage of a virulent bird flu outbreak, dead pigs floating in Shanghai’s Huangpu river and, according to China National Tourism Administration, the impact of a stronger Chinese currency (hmm, that old Washington bugbear). But the biggest hit seems to have been the so-called ‘Airpocalypse’ that suffocated much of northern China in January, a time when tourists are planning spring and summer holidays. Why bother going to see the Great Wall when it’s shrouded in yellow fog? Foreign tourists coming to Beijing fell by 15% over this period, according to official data cited by AP.
Domestic tourism is booming in China, so a slump in foreign visitors may not be a killer blow. Sure, Chinese are traveling overseas for leisure trips in record numbers, but most people still take their holidays at home, and must-see sites will continue to see foot traffic, even on smoggy days. However, a turnoff for foreign tourists is also a turnoff for business travellers at a time of slowing economic growth and concerns over regulatory crackdowns. So this could be another indicator of the lessening lure of China’s economy. It’s also a wake-up call for a stressed, exhausted environment, but don’t hold your breath for quick solutions. On second thoughts, do.
China's 'Crazy-Bad' Air Pollution Deters Tourists And Traders - Forbes
Air pollution wasn’t the only bad news emanating from China. There was international coverage of a virulent bird flu outbreak, dead pigs floating in Shanghai’s Huangpu river and, according to China National Tourism Administration, the impact of a stronger Chinese currency (hmm, that old Washington bugbear). But the biggest hit seems to have been the so-called ‘Airpocalypse’ that suffocated much of northern China in January, a time when tourists are planning spring and summer holidays. Why bother going to see the Great Wall when it’s shrouded in yellow fog? Foreign tourists coming to Beijing fell by 15% over this period, according to official data cited by AP.
Domestic tourism is booming in China, so a slump in foreign visitors may not be a killer blow. Sure, Chinese are traveling overseas for leisure trips in record numbers, but most people still take their holidays at home, and must-see sites will continue to see foot traffic, even on smoggy days. However, a turnoff for foreign tourists is also a turnoff for business travellers at a time of slowing economic growth and concerns over regulatory crackdowns. So this could be another indicator of the lessening lure of China’s economy. It’s also a wake-up call for a stressed, exhausted environment, but don’t hold your breath for quick solutions. On second thoughts, do.
China's 'Crazy-Bad' Air Pollution Deters Tourists And Traders - Forbes
