US destinations scramble to win back Chinese tourists
- Visitor numbers from China to the US are slowing after years of growth, and it’s not just about the trade war
- Experts say tourism industry must do more to keep up with changing needs of Chinese travellers
The number of Chinese visitors to the US has fallen for the first time in 15 years, after more than a decade of rapid growth, but friction between the two countries is just one reason for the slowdown, according to travel industry insiders.
Travel from China to the US fell 5.7 per cent in 2018 to 2.9 million visitors, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, which collects data from US Customs forms. It was the first time since 2003 that Chinese travel to the US slipped from the previous year.
But because China commands some of the highest tourism traffic to the US, any fall-off will be felt by destinations that have come to rely on Chinese spending power. In 2017, the country had the fifth highest number of US-bound tourists, behind Canada, Mexico, Britain and Japan.
China did not crack the top 10 list until 2011 and has been climbing ever since. Spending by Chinese visitors – which does not include students – ballooned more than 600 per cent between 2008 and 2016, to nearly $18.9 billion. In 2017, that fell by 1 per cent to $18.8 billion, or about 12 per cent of overall tourism spending.
To hold on to those dollars, experts say the tourism industry must do more to keep up with Chinese travellers and their changing needs.