Domestic tourism sinks as Omicron takes hold

BEIJING: As China’s domestic tourism unravels, desperate provinces are slashing ticket prices, offering tax breaks and even begging locals to help save plummeting tourist earnings in a sector that employs tens of millions of people.

The slump in tourism – which includes travel, accommodation and catering – has persisted into 2022 because of wider Covid-related curbs on inter-province travel, lockdowns and endless mass testing, official data shows.