China travel industry recovery halted by coronavirus outbreaks, third-quarter trips down over 18 per cent
- Domestic trips in the third quarter fell by 18.3 per cent, deviating from the 247.1 per cent and 33 per cent growth in the first and second quarters
- The total number of domestic trips taken in the January-September period rose by 39.1 per cent year on year to 2.69 billion
China’s domestic tourism market plunged in the third quarter, setting back the recovery achieved in the first half of the year as intermittent coronavirus outbreaks put a halt to interprovincial travel.
The number of domestic trips in the third quarter fell by 18.3 per cent compared with the same period last year, deviating from the encouraging 247.1 per cent and 33 per cent growth in the first and second quarters respectively, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Due to the strong performance in the first two quarters of the year, the total number of domestic trips taken in the January-September period rose by 39.1 per cent, year on year, to 2.69 billion.
“It’d be a pretty optimistic prediction if the upcoming two months can reach the same performance as last year,” said Wu Liyun, a tourism professor at Beijing International Studies University.
Everyone is hanging on for dear life. All we can do for now is wait
Wu pointed to the lack of public holidays for the remainder of the year as adding to the problems faced by tourism in the winter months, with a fourth quarter revival unlikely with coronavirus outbreaks also not yet completely stamped out.