Quake adds to tourist industry trouble Go back »

2008-06-19 | Southwest China

The quake, however, forced the immediate closure of tourist sites near the disaster zone and the China National Tourism Administration ordered all tourists to stay away, even if only passing through quake-hit areas. The Sichuan Tourism Bureau estimates losses to top 60 million RMB (US$8.6 million).

"It's a disaster for the industry," said David Fan, who has worked as a tour guide and operator in Sichuan for the past 20 years. Fan said despite the recent Tibetan riots and new regulations that had already cut visitor numbers the industry had still hoped the Olympic year would be profitable. "But now the earthquake has finished us off."

The National Tourism Administration and the Sichuan Provincial Tourism Bureau is this month working on a recovery plan for tourism in the province. There is much to recover from. More than a quarter of Sichuan's tourist sites have been damaged, including 45 national and 59 provincial sites.

Panda enclosures at the world famous Wolong breeding center collapsed and five staff members were killed. The Dujiangyan irrigation system, which dates back to 250 BC and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, escaped major damage but the surrounding scenic area was affected. The 2,000-year-old Erwang Temple near the Dujiangyan site was severely damaged. "Already we've seen a drop off in customers," said Heather Jones, who part-owns a Chengdu bar and restaurant catering to expats and foreign travelers. "And this is supposed to be the start of the busy season."

No foreign tourists were killed in the quake but media images of the disaster have put people off traveling to the region, says Fan. "In the Western media, all the news is about what a dangerous place it is. It's a complete misunderstanding."

KLM, which operates the only direct flights from Europe to Chengdu, was forced to cancel four of its flights within 10 days of the quake because of passenger downturn. The airline is expected to drop one of its four flights a week to Amsterdam.

But while the earthquake will likely hit hard for smaller operators like Fan and Jones, larger companies are more optimistic. "Obviously, [the earthquake] will impact the tourism industry in Sichuan in the short term," said Peter Gowers, chief executive, Asia Pacific, for IHG, owner of Holiday Inn, InterContinental and Crowne Plaza hotels. "However, we are very confident that the situation in this region will get better and tourism will resume." Gowers said occupancy rates at IHG's three hotels in Chengdu stood at 20 to 30 percent and its Jiuzhaigou hotel was closed because of blocked transport links. "In time, the tourism industry in Sichuan and Chengdu will no doubt recover but right now, the focus should be on helping the local community recover from this tragic disaster."