How China is trying to win back foreign tourists
Come, spend, don’t worry about a visa
Interesting, safe and easy to get around, China has what it takes to be the top tourist destination in Asia. Indeed, it was. In the first half of 2019, before covid-19 hit, China’s travel agencies handled 8.6m tourist visits, more than any other country in the region, according to the government (see chart 1). China’s border authorities recorded 47.7m entries and exits by foreigners, including non-tourists, over that period. But after plummeting during the pandemic, those numbers have yet to fully recover, coming in at 3.1m and 29.2m, respectively, in the first half of this year.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “A long way to go”
From the October 26th 2024 edition
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