That was an expensive party: China's National Tourism Administration reported over the weekend that foreign visits to China dropped in 2008 for the first time in five years--despite the free publicity generated by the Beijing Summer Olympics.
Some 130 million visitors made tracks to China in '08, 2 million fewer than '07 and a huge disappointment for a host country that put on the most expensive games ever (at an estimated cost of $42 billion). Nearly all sectors of the travel industry suffered: Beijing hotels were actually emptier in the two weeks of the Games than they were over the same period in 2007, and Chinese airlines, despite cutting flights to Beijing in 2007, lost over a billion dollars.
The Tourism Administration pointed out in an interview with China Daily that nearly every destination shed visitors in 2008 due to the global economic crisis. Rising prices, more stringent visa requirements and the Sichuan earthquake were also cited as factors in an Associated Press report. In response to the slump, tourism officials plan to launch a campaign encouraging more domestic travel and urging Chinese employers to dole out paid vacations so citizens will have the money and time to sightsee.
Is it even worth it to host the Olympics anymore? Upcoming hosts Vancouver and London must feel a little queasy right now.
Related Stories:
· Fewer Visits to China Last Year Despite Olympics [AP, via Yahoo!]
· China's Iron Olympic Grip Starts to Slip [UK Times]
· Slowdown Forecast for China's Tourism Industry [China Daily]
· We Still Think 2008's Destination of the Year Was China [Jaunted]
· Post-Olympics Travel: China's (Short-Lived) Afterglow [Jaunted]
[Photo: sockeyed]]]>
