Travel
China’s Deep-Pocketed Tourists Are Staying Home, For Now
- Surging infections and foreign restrictions curtail access
- Limited flights, high prices dampen Chinese travel appetite
Travelers from China arrive at a gate at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, on Jan. 6.
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/BloombergDuring last year’s bruising Covid lockdown in Shanghai, Qin Bing dreamed of traveling overseas. As China reopens its borders on Sunday after three years of Covid isolation, however, the 36-year-old marketing manager is staying put.
In fact, the $280 billion force that is Chinese tourism may not reemerge for months, thanks to lingering infections, restrictions for new arrivals and surging costs tied to a breakdown of the global travel infrastructure.