Ein ausländischer Tourist das Tragen einer Schutzmaske, Besuche auf dem Platz des himmlischen Friedens in schweren Smog in Peking, China, 16. Januar 2014. Inmitten der steigenden Umweltverschmutzung und eine Stre
A foreign tourist wearing a face mask visits the Tiananmen Square in heavy smog in Beijing, China, 16 January 2014. Amid rising pollution and a strengthening yuan, the capital city saw its tourist numbers drop to 4.20 million visits from January to November from 5.01 million visits in 2012, according to China Daily, citing a report from China Tourism Academy and Beijing Commission of Tourism Development. An earlier report based on a survey of domestic travel agents showed that visitors to the capital declined by roughly 50% in the first three-quarters of the year compared with a year earlier. The number of inbound travelers to Beijing grew after the city hosted the 2008 Olympics until 2012, when it saw a 3.8% decline, followed by the further drop last year. The unexpected drop in 2013 came in spite of new policies, such as the citys 72-hour visa waiver for transit passengers, that were introduced in an attempt to nurture Chinas tourism industry.
