FX.co ★ China’s tourism sector shows steep decline

The Chinese economy continues to contract, facing new challenges. Tourism added to the problems of the country’s crippling manufacturing and construction sectors. On the one hand, China is not the most demanded tourist destination. On the other hand, more and more tourists visit China every year and the revenues from those visits are beginning to make up a decent part of the budget. Thus, the number of international travelers remains low. This slows down the recovery of the Chinese economy. Meanwhile, China offers a lot of attractions and sightseeing places. Nevertheless, politics has not walked past tourism. For example, you can be banned from entering the country if you have a picture of Winnie the Pooh on your clothes or belongings. You can be arrested for any speech against the government or the political system. Moreover, you can be fined if you try to pay with foreign currency. However, there are always those who like this kind of supervised vacation, but every year there are fewer of them. In the first quarter of 2023, a total of 52,000 international tourists visited China, 98% lower compared to the same period in 2019. Economists note that the tourism sector is depressed. Tourist arrivals continue to plummet, largely due to worsening commercial and political relations between China and the West. Visitors from developed countries refrain from traveling to mainland China due to the increased risk of detention. According to Xiao Qianhui, chairman of the China Tourism Association, increased security risks have already led to a decline in tourist traffic from China's neighbors South Korea and Japan.