According to state media report the number of foreign tourist arrivals in China dropped by 10 percent last year compared to 2012, for which air pollution is blamed.
Citing official statistics the official Xinhua news agency says, the total number of foreign visitors arriving in Beijing during 2013 was 4.5 million. The paper quoted Lu Yong, the director of the Beijing Commission of Tourism Development, as saying.”Frequent air pollution” contributed to the decline in tourists, along with a weak global economy.
The decline appeared in spite of a new policy introduced last year that allow travellers from 45 countries to stop in the city for 72 hours visa-free.
Beijing repeatedly experiences harmful air pollution, and levels of particulate matter rose to about 40 times World Health Organisation (WHO) limits during a heavy attack of smog last year, which attracted worldwide attention.
