Chinese Tourism To U.S. Is Down After Years Of Booming Growth

"For years, a record number of Chinese tourists have flocked to U.S. attractions like Hollywood, Capitol Hill and the Grand Canyon. But their numbers are now falling."

"The strong dollar has made U.S. travel more expensive and tourism to the U.S. has matured — just as trade and political tensions have grown between the countries."

"In Hawaii, the number of Chinese visitors dropped by a quarter in April and by more than 23% through the first four months of 2019, compared to the same time last year, according to the islands' tourism office."

"In Arizona, home of the Grand Canyon, the state's Office of Tourism estimates the number of Chinese visitors declined 3.7% in 2018 — after nearly quadrupling from 2010 to 2017."

"Nationwide, the number of visitors from China fell in 2018 for the first time since 2003 — down by 5.7%, according to data to be released on Friday by the National Travel and Tourism Office. However, they remained the biggest spenders of all international travelers, spending $36.4 billion last year."

"'It's really hard to predict what is actually causing' the trends, said Tori Barnes of the U.S. Travel Association. She said the strong dollar is making travel to the U.S. more expensive. And 'there's a potential that some of the trade skirmishes that we're having with countries like China could have unintended consequences,' Barnes said."

"At the same time, Barnes and other tourism experts also said the tourism market for Chinese travelers to the United States has grown so fast in recent years — skyrocketing to fifth-most-common origin of U.S. visitors — that it was bound to level off."