Pollution choking China's tourism industry

Poor air quality a drawback for tourists.

China's inbound tourism market is still struggling to bounce back in the midst of rising concerns about issues such as air pollution, according to a new report from the China Tourism Academy.

The number of inbound tourists reached 129.08 million in 2013, down 2.51 percent year-on-year, the report said.

About 75.4 percent of inbound tourists were satisfied with their visits in 2013, down 11.41 percent compared with the previous year. Some tourists from overseas expressed dissatisfaction with the water supply, air quality and barrier-free facilities.

"Since the first quarter of 2012, the number of inbound tourists has been down for nine consecutive quarters both on an annual and quarterly basis, and there is no sign that it will bounce back soon," said Dai Bin, head of the academy. "China's inbound tourism market is in a grave situation unseen before."

"And the complicated exterior environment has added uncertainties to the development of inbound tourism," Dai added. "Besides the economic situation and international relationships, issues of weather, environment and terrorism have cast a shadow on the industry."

Jia Zhirong, deputy general manager of Lvmama, an online travel service provider in Shanghai, said his company has seen decreases both in the number of inbound tourists and the money they spend in China in the past three years.

"The majority of our clients are from South Korea, Japan, the United States and Canada," said Jia. "In 2011, the average spending in China for each overseas tourist was around $2,000, excluding transportation and accommodation. The number has been dropping every year."

"I think air pollution is a very important reason," Jia said. "Overseas visitors will not consider traveling to a destination with a potential health risks.

"Besides, the reason overseas visitors found China attractive is the natural beauty of lakes, mountains and ancient architecture. With heavy smog, it is very difficult for them to enjoy that."

Beijing, one of the most important tourism destinations in China, has been plagued by heavy smog for days. The capital's tourism authority told China Daily that it is aware of the impact of air pollution on tourism, but there are more reasons behind the declines.

Source: China Daily Asia

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Cleaner air a must to stop China tourism losses

Hotels and other providers of room and board accommodations need to take measures for cleaner indoor air

Activated carbon in air purifiers
can help remove fumes, gases,
chemicals, odors and more.

China has always been a major draw for tourists, but an ever growing problem of smog and poor air quality has caused a huge drop of visitors this year.

In January, China experienced extreme levels of smog, which were reported worldwide. Since then, the numbers of overseas visitors have declined and many long-term foreign residents have decided to leave the country.

China is the world's third most popular destination for international travel after France and the United States.

The decline could be long-term if Beijing fails to make visible progress in dealing with pollution, experts say.

An analysis of U.S. Embassy readings of smaller, more harmful airborne particles, show this year's pollution is significantly worse than in the past three years.

The Chinese government has announced ambitious anti-pollution measures but people whose jobs depend on foreign tourists aren't hopeful.

Source: The Telegraph

Cleaner air in hotels and other accommodations 

Visiting a country that suffers from high levels of air pollution is hard enough, but the thought of sleeping in a room with the same levels of poor indoor air quality might turn potential visitors away.

The tourism industry can respond by cutting prices - or by offering cleaner and healthier air inside their buildings.

In order to tackle the fumes, chemicals and particles inherent in city smog, an air purifier for smog not only needs a HEPA filter for particles and dust, but also a comprehensive activated carbon filter to remove chemicals, gases and fumes.

Electrocorp has worked with environmental consultants, the hospitality industry and many other professionals to provide cleaner indoor air. For hotel rooms and the hospitality industry, Electrocorp recommends air purification systems such as

Electrocorp's 9000 Series air purifier
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9000 Series - This air purifier offers a 15-60 pound activated carbon filter and medical grade HEPA filter and a pre-filter to prolong the main filters' life. The air purifiers can be mounted to the wall, attached to the ducts or used on the ground.

I-6500 Series for bigger spaces - The reception halls, lobbies, hallways, dining rooms and other larger spaces in hotels and vacation accommodations will benefit from clean air that has been filtered by activated carbon and HEPA.

RAP Series - Electrocorp's Radial Air Purifiers provide around the clock operation and a multi-stage filtration system to remove airborne chemicals, odors, particles and biological contaminants.

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