Six months after China stopped group tours to South Korea, some 90 percent of companies catering to Chinese tourists have closed down, according to a tourism association.
The Chinese travelers' growing appetites for free independent travel and share economy are reshaping Australia's tourism industry.
Chinese outbound tourists have evolved into experienced and sophisticated travelers—some 67% of surveyed tourists have traveled more than once last year, visiting an average of 2.3 destinations.
For years, China’s three state-owned airlines kept adding flights on international routes to chase after the expanding middle class. Now, they are slowing that down in favor of the local market.
The number of Chinese tourists traveling to Australia is projected to increase from 1.2 million a year now to over eight million in 2032.
Chinese tourists in South Korea declined nearly 70% on-year last month, a drop for five straight months following China's ban on Korea-bound trips amid THAAD row, government data showed Tuesday.
Official data showed that the number of Chinese outbound tourists rose by 5.1% to 62.03 million while inbound tourists in China grew by 2.4% to 69.5 million in H1 2017.
China's civil aviation industry recorded total transport turnover of 60.88 billion ton-km from January to July, up by 12.8%. The number of transported passengers rose 13.2% to 312 million.