Chinese tourism to US drops for 1st time in 15 years

After more than a decade of rapid growth, Chinese travel to the U.S. is falling. And that has cities, malls and other tourist spots scrambling to reverse the trend.

Travel from China to the U.S. fell 5.7% in 2018 to 2.9 million visitors, according to the National Travel and Tourism Office, which collects data from U.S. Customs forms. It was the first time since 2003 that Chinese travel to the U.S. slipped from the prior year.

Friction between the U.S. and China is one reason for the slowdown. The Trump administration first imposed tariffs on Chinese solar panels and washing machines in January 2018, and the trade war has escalated from there. The U.S. now has a 25 per cent tariff on USD 200 billion worth of Chinese imports, while China has retaliated with tariffs on USD 60 billion of U.S. imports.

Last summer, China issued a travel warning for the U.S., telling its citizens to beware of shootings, robberies and high costs for medical care. The U.S. shot back with its own warning about travel to China.

Wang Haixia, who works at an international trade company in Beijing, traveled to the U.S. in May for her sister's graduation. She and her family planned to spend 10 days in Illinois and New York.

Wang says she might have stayed longer but doesn't want to contribute to the U.S. economy amid the trade war.

"I cannot cancel this trip because I promised my sister I would go to her commencement," she said. "My relatives will contribute more than 100,000 yuan to America just staying for 10 days, and that's enough."