As the world economy continues to be overshadowed by the global financial crisis; the tourism industry in China is also being adversely affected.

A tourist visits the Three Gorges region on the Yangtze River. As the world economy continues to be overshadowed by the global financial crisis; the tourism industry in China is also being adversely affected. (File photo: Xinhua).

Many Chinese travel agencies remain disappointed as they traditionally welcome a boost in tourism around this time of year.

Zhang Qingzhu, a marketing manager of a tourism agency in Beijing, says most visitors have to cut down on their expenses. The number of foreign tourists arriving in China has continued to fall during the past month.

Statistics show the number of foreign visitors in China has decreased 0.3 percent in the last three quarters of this year, and fell 6 percent in September, compared with the same period last year.

Deng Zongde, a counsellor with China's national tourism administration, notes that the natural disasters in Southern China and the May 12th earthquake prevented many foreign visitors from travelling to China in the first half of this year. Now the world economic downturn is the main reason for the current lull in China's tourism market.

(CRI October 27, 2008)