[Global Network Special Correspondent Li Zhiwei Aoki Liu Jun Wang Quanjiao Goodman in the United States, Germany, Japan, Australia, Korea, and the United Kingdom]
Open your arms, waiting to embrace the Chinese tourists who use the Spring Festival holiday to travel abroad. But this year, because of the new crown epidemic, from Washington, Berlin , Sydney, to Seoul and Tokyo, the number of Chinese tourists on the streets has dropped sharply. "Without the warm embrace of Chinese tourists", will the local tourism industry miss the days when they are there? What will be the atmosphere of the Spring Festival in the Year of the Ox in these places? The World Wide Web contacted a number of special correspondents stationed in many countries and places to try to find out.
"Miss the Chinese"
Because the United States has imposed strict immigration policies on Chinese tourists, the number of Chinese tourists across the United States has plummeted, which has made the US tourism industry that has been hit by the epidemic even worse. According to the regulations of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, except for special circumstances, passengers who have been to China in the past 14 days are not allowed to enter the US. This measure basically blocked Chinese tourists from going to the United States. The number of US visas issued to China has dropped to a historical low. According to official US data: From April to September 2020, the number of F-1 student visas issued by the United States to mainland Chinese applicants decreased by 99% compared with the same period in the previous year.
Overseas Spring Festival without Chinese tourists, less the lively atmosphere of previous years. Take downtown Washington as an example. In the past, from the South Lawn of the White House to the Lincoln Memorial , from the Washington Monument to the museums around the National Mall, there were always many tour groups from China during the Spring Festival. However, it is difficult to find traces of Chinese tourists before these attractions. The businesses of some New York tourism operators have also been hit hard. They can barely make ends meet for almost the whole year and face high rents.You can only sublet the office and keep going.
February 10, 2021, the Chinatown of San Francisco is deserted. Source: U.S. media
Psychological Director of the China National Aid Center in Salt Lake City, USA, Le Taowen, introduced to reporters from Global.com that since the epidemic, the US tourism industry has been hit hard. Taking Utah with a population of more than 3 million as an example, tourism is the state’s pillar industry, creating an output value of 10.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2019 and creating 141,500 jobs. In previous years, the state’s major national parks always saw many Chinese tourists, and it was visually estimated that 30% to 40% were Chinese tourists. But now, due to the impact of the new crown epidemic, foreign tourists have dropped sharply, as are Chinese tourists. Le Taowen said that many local Chinese travel companies had to take various measures to help themselves, including receiving government relief, finding temporary jobs, and minimizing spending. "Many travel agencies have sold buses, and tour guides and staff have temporarily transferred to other jobs. However, local tourism companies also said that believes that Chinese tourists will come back after the epidemic is over. For businesses, China Tourists are willing to spend money and they are very popular. They also look forward to Chinese tourists coming back. "Le Taowen also said that the Utah local government has always attached importance to Chinese tourists and improved Chinese services, hoping to attract more Chinese tourists in the future.
Data map: February 2, 2021, in Beijing, China, a worker is installing lanterns to welcome the new year. Source: Agence France-Presse
In the context of the new crown epidemic, European countries that are the first choice for Chinese tourists to go abroad are also facing the same dilemma. A reporter from Global.com saw on Kudamstrasse, a shopping street in Berlin, Germany. Almost all stores are closed, and only a few supermarkets and fast food restaurants are still allowed to open. There are no decorations for the "2021 Chinese New Year of the Ox" on the streets, and there are no Chinese tourists with large bags. A manager of KaDeWe Department Store on Kudam Street told reporters that they used to receive thousands of Chinese tourists every day during the Spring Festival, and the store would also launch "Chinese New Year Week" activities. During the epidemic, almost no Chinese tourists were received, which had a huge impact, but the shop windows were still decorated in the Year of the Ox. The famous German attractions such as Neuschwanstein Castle, Cologne Cathedral , Brandenburg Gate, etc. also have fewer Chinese tourists.
University of Munich Tourism economist Winters told reporters that China is now Germany's largest source of tourists in Asia. There are more than 3 million Chinese tourists every year, and the average daily consumption is more than 300 euros. "Strong1strong The absence of Chinese tourists has a huge impact on many tourist cities in Germany. Now, German cities miss the Chinese very much ."
February was the peak tourist season in Australia, and many Chinese tourists would be on the Spring Festival holiday. When visiting Australia, major cities in Australia also launched special Spring Festival activities to attract Chinese tourists. However, affected by the epidemic, Australia announced the closure of its international borders since March 2020, and the tourism industry has been severely affected. According to data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in January this year: The number of short-term tourists in Australia has dropped by more than 99% compared to the previous one. There is a lack of a large number of Chinese tourists entering the country. During the Spring Festival, the streets of Australia have disappeared from the past. However, many iconic locations or shopping malls are still decorated with Chinese New Year decorations to celebrate the New Year with the local Chinese community, hoping to stimulate consumption.
Another kind of celebration
Despite the huge impact of the new crown epidemic, economic and social activities have been drastically reduced, causing the tourism and air transport industries to experience a "severe freeze", but facing difficulties, some foreign governments and businesses have begun to take aim "Online activities" and other methods to "self-help".
The reporter observed that the German "Online Spring Festival" is becoming more and more intense. In addition to major supermarkets launching "new year goods" through online shopping platforms, etc., major German TV stations, streaming media, and institutions that have close cooperation with China have also prepared "Chinese New Year cultural feasts." German Television One (ARD) specially launched the "China Theme Week" for the Chinese New Year. From February 6 to 12, two to three Chinese documentaries, such as "China Maritime Silk Road" and "China's Wild West" etc.
Student Zhang, who is now studying at the Technical University of Berlin, told Global.com that although Germany is still under the epidemic situation during the Spring Festival this year, the "New Year of the Ox" on the Internet is very strong.Student Zhang introduced that Chinese supermarkets all over Germany are selling "New Year's Eve set meal" and "Spring Festival set meal", and many German online stores offer discounts for Chinese shopping. There are also many Chinese Spring Festival movies on streaming media, and it is very convenient to watch TV programs such as domestic Spring Festival gala, "This is a new trend."
Affected by the epidemic, the celebration of the Lunar New Year of the Ox in many cities in Australia has been significantly reduced. Source: News Australia
In order to attract Chinese tourists and revive the tourism economy, according to reporters, the Australian Sydney municipal government will hold more than 80 celebrations during the Spring Festival this year, including concerts and lion dances. Squares, exhibitions, outdoor performances, Chinese New Year fairs, etc. The Mayor of Sydney, Crawford Moore, expressed that he hopes to attract people back to Sydney city through a series of Spring Festival activities this year, to celebrate the coming of the Year of the Ox and to support local shops affected by the epidemic.
In the Sydney Friendship Garden, many local citizens and tourists wrote down their wishes for the Year of the Ox (photographed by Wang Quanjiao)
Sydney Friendship Garden is holding a wishing event for the Year of the Ox, and many citizens and tourists write about themselves in the garden The new year’s wishes are hung with red ropes, hoping that the new year will usher in good luck. The Garden of Friendship is the Garden of Friendship, which is designed, guided and constructed by the Guangzhou Bureau of Landscape Architecture. It is a symbol of the friendship between China and Australia.
It is worth mentioning that many Chinese and overseas Chinese and overseas students who were unable to return to China due to the epidemic and chose to stay overseas for the New Year are also practicing global anti-epidemic through "personal sacrifice" .
Duan Yuezhong, the editor-in-chief of the Japanese Overseas Chinese News Agency, who went to Japan from China in 1991, was affected by the epidemic and was unable to gather with friends this year. He chose to spend the Spring Festival with his family at home in this special Spring Festival of the Ox, while watching the Spring Festival Gala. Make dumplings and bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. Duan Yuezhong also held "cloud gatherings" with Chinese and overseas Chinese in Japan and Japanese friends through the Internet. What made him most pleased was that Hunan Province and Loudi Lengshuijiang City Overseas Chinese Federation helped Duan Yuezhong to show condolences to his relatives in his hometown, including condolences and gifts, as well as family photos. , as the president of the Japanese Hunan Association,Duan Yuezhong is very grateful for the care of the motherland.
The United Kingdom, where the mutation new coronavirus was first discovered, also adopted stricter epidemic control measures this year. Most of the Chinese students staying in the country strictly abide by the local epidemic prevention regulations and choose to video with their relatives and friends online to spend the holidays alone. Due to the impact of the epidemic, many students have stayed abroad for one or two years, and most of them are "homesick". A Chinese student studying at Oxford University told World Wide Web: "It has been almost two years since I went home. I don't want to cause trouble to my motherland, but I really miss home."
Ying students look forward to: With the deepening of the understanding of the new coronavirus, the adeptness of diagnosis and treatment and the popularization of vaccines, they hope to return to normal life as soon as possible.
"Still hopeful"
"The past year has been ‘painful’ and I hope that the epidemic will end soon."
This is the most common words heard by reporters from Global.com in this special planning report for the Spring Festival. They come from those who have suffered heavy losses in the overseas tourism industry, or from Chinese students, or from overseas Chinese who have worked and lived overseas for many years.
In previous years, dragon and lion dance was a common custom for Chinese people to celebrate the Spring Festival, but this year, this event is likely to be cancelled. Source: British media
"House" may still be the theme of most countries in the world in 2021.
In the United States San Francisco , under the influence of several "home orders", the business of Chinese restaurants has declined. In previous years, the Spring Festival was the peak season for restaurants, but now, "Chinese tourists are not coming." Local Chinese are also unwilling to go to restaurants for dinner because of the severe epidemic. The business of these restaurants has plummeted, and some are even on the verge of bankruptcy.
Chinese tourists are the third largest source of overseas tourists in the U.S. tourism industry.The average cost of each trip is US$5,800, more than any other country. In contrast, the U.S. tourism industry's largest source of overseas tourists-British tourists spend only $2,500 per capita. In fact, the number of Chinese tourists to the United States has declined in the past few years, which is not unrelated to factors such as Sino-US trade frictions. In 2018, the number of Chinese tourists to the United States was 2.9 million, a decrease of 5.7%. This is the first decline in the number of Chinese tourists to the United States since 2003.
Lunar New Year is also a traditional Korean holiday and public holiday. Span6span outside South Korea’s main island Jeju Island was once one of the top destinations for Chinese tourists to travel to South Korea. However, under the epidemic, even if the two countries are on the same Spring Festival holiday, the entry of Chinese tourists is restricted. The island should have been at this time Popular gourmet restaurants and tourist attractions are not as good as before. In addition, for the sake of safety, the South Korean government still maintains the epidemic prevention level at 2.5, requiring that the number of gatherings should not exceed 5 people, calling on people to celebrate the New Year on the spot, and restaurants within the Seoul metropolitan area should not be open beyond 9 o'clock.
Festive New Year decorations are set up at some iconic attractions in Sydney (photographed by Wang Quanjiao)
However, with the global promotion of the new crown vaccine, countries have responded more calmly to the epidemic than before. Some analysts believe that: the new crown The epidemic will be effectively controlled this year.
China Center for International Economic Exchanges Chief Researcher Zhang Yan emphasized in an interview with Global Net reporters before his birthday that travel abroad is still not a wise move under the current COVID-19 situation. "In the past few years, the number of Chinese citizens traveling abroad reached nearly 150 million. Under the impact of the new crown epidemic, this number is expected to drop sharply. The tourism, aviation, catering and other industries in countries around the world will inevitably be seriously affected. In this case, related industries and businesses will face the dilemma of transformation or even bankruptcy.” However, Zhang Yansheng also said that some businesses may try some innovations, such as the development of online virtual travel scene services. The director of the Institute of International Affairs of Renmin University of China Wang Yiwei also mentioned to the World Wide Web that the new crown epidemic has made online museums, virtual reality and other emerging things more popular.
"Although this method lacks a full range of cultural experience, and is also restricted by the popularity of the Internet," Wang Yiwei said, but it is a new attempt and a breakthrough in a difficult situation.
Global Network reporters Liu Yang, Zhu Mengying, Bian Zihao, Hou Jiaxin, Zhang Xiaoya, Ding Jieyun, Zuo Tian, Wu Yuanchun also contributed to this article
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