Beijing inbound tourism in July down 30.2 percent

On August 15, the Beijing Municipal Tourism Bureau released statistics that show the number of inbound tourists staying overnight and domestic tourists hotels received in the city in July had dropped substantially, according to Beijing Times.

Statistics show that in July, the city received 270,000 inbound overnight tourists, the number falling by 30.2 percent. Among them, 238,000 people are foreigners, 28.8 percent less than the same period of last year; 20,000 are Hong Kong people, 32.4 percent less than the same period last year; and 12,000 are from Taiwan, 47.6 percent less than the same period last year. In July the city's star-rated hotels received 1.217 million domestic guests, a 16.4 percent decrease from the same period last year.

According to the Beijing tourism market, the decline in inbound tourism in the first half is related to the Wenchuan earthquake and other factors; and the embassies have strengthened the management of inbound tourist visas during the Olympic Games. As a result, a portion of inbound tourism has been severely restricted. The industry believes that with the success of the Olympic Games and the coming golden tourism period of September and October, the number of inbound tourists is expected to rise in the second half.

By People's Daily Online