China's January-June Tourism Numbers Down 5% YOY; Visitors To Beijing Down 15% For Same Period

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From January to June, the total number of foreign visitors, including business travellers and residents, entering China declined by 5% to just under 13 million compared with the same period last year, according to the China National Tourism Administration. Overall, visitors from Asia, Australia, Europe and the Americas all declined.

In Beijing, with major attractions including the Great Wall and the Imperial Palace, the drop is even more striking. The number of foreign tourists visiting the Chinese capital fell by 15% in the first six months of the year to 1.9 million.

Chinese tourism officials blame the global economic slowdown and a stronger Chinese currency and say China's image has been hurt by the emergence of H7N9 bird flu, air pollution and dead pigs found floating in Shanghai's main river.

Beijing's city government only started publicly releasing air quality data in January 2012 that measured PM2.5, or fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. They can enter deep into the lungs and can cause more damage. They are considered a more accurate reflection of air quality than other pollutants.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/air-pollution-hits-chinas-tourism-29495647.html