China’s tourism sector was already in a ‘death spiral’ – and now Beijing reports a new cluster of Covid-19 cases
- 50 people in Beijing test positive over the weekend for the virus
- Most mainland Chinese people say they are worried about travelling and their finances, survey finds
Zhang Ban, who drives a coach for a Shanghai tour service company, bemoans the Covid-19 pandemic that led to his paycheck being cut by more than 50 per cent.
“We are among the main victims to the coronavirus,” he said. “The tourism sector is crippled by the disease and I feel hopeless.”
By April, after the Covid-19 was brought under control in mainland China, most manufacturing and service companies resumed production and operation. But not so in the tourism sector, where livelihoods continue to be threatened by people’s reluctance to travel since the outbreak in Wuhan was first made public in January.
Some 59 per cent of the respondents in a survey of Chinese consumers by the Boston Consulting Group in May said they were worried about their household financial conditions and cautious about travelling.
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Beijing district in ‘wartime emergency mode’ after spike in local Covid-19 cases