Inbound overnight international visitors totaled 22.93 million between Jan and May this year, down 4.06 percent compared to the same period in 2012. This is the third consecutive year these numbers have dropped, even though on a global basis, it is still the third largest inbound tourism market.
This is happening even as domestic Chinese visits internally is in mega-boom, with 998 million visitors in Q1 of this year, up 14.1 percent, with domestic travel revenues at about $124 billion, up 18.4 percent, according to CNTA.
Among the biggest international tourist declines for first five months of 2013: South Korea inbound tourists totaled 1,562,400 passengers, down 6.1 percent; Japan: 1,177,600, down 24.54 percent; U.S.: 868,300, down 2.47 percent; and Russia: 838,500, down 4.74 percent. Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries and Hong Kong and Macao markets have also declined.
Read full story at: http://skift.com/2013/07/05/international-visits-into-china-are-in-major-decline/
