Covid-19 in China: tour guides turn to ‘cloud tourism’ as Omicron empties scenic spots

Domestic tourism over lucrative Labour Day break takes a hit as China battles latest Covid-19 wave

Even as local governments offer live-streaming classes and support for alternative work, guides are left longing for real tourists to show around

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The scenic beauty of Huangshan or Yellow Mountains has inspired centuries of art and draws millions of tourists. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 8:00am, 4 May 2022Updated: 8:43am, 4 May 2022

Yang Changqing has been up and down Huangshan (Yellow Mountains) dozens of times in the past week.

One time, he climbed to the top of the 1,864m (6,115 feet) range – and began to sing on camera. Another time, he got to the centre of a walking bridge and launched into a popular bodybuilding routine to attract online viewers.

But mostly the 37-year-old tour guide resigns himself to just posing in front of empty shops and deserted scenic spots, panning his camera for his viewers to share in the experience from their phones.

Huangshan Park, the scenic area in China’s southeastern Anhui province around the mountains, had always been a popular tourist destination during the Labour Day holiday long weekend, when entry is free.

Even in 2020, in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, park authorities had to close the attraction after visitors swamped the trails over the May 1 weekend, their numbers well over the daily limit of 20,000.

And in 2021, with the coronavirus seemingly in retreat in China, tourism figures recovered to 93 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.