Hardly any tourists and/or foreigners also means that Chinese people who live here will have no idea how to behave around foreigners or anyone else for that matter. When they do go to a truly international city they don't like it. It bursts their little bubble about Beijing being an "international" city.
Pollution Causes 14 Percent Drop in Beijing Tourism
Despite a new 72-hour, visa-free policy for citizens of 45 countries, tourism arrivals in Beijing were down 14 percent during the first half of 2013, with pollution as the primary culprit.
The overall weak global economy was also to blame, but state media quoted Lu Yong, the director of the Beijing Commission of Tourism Development, as citing air pollution as the primary cause.
The government is responding with a RMB 1.7 trillion plan over the next five years, particularly in Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei province, seen as the worst site for air pollution in the country. The plan sets a target to reduce PM 2.5 emissions by 25 percent during the period.
It is not clear whether the new plan is in addition to or instead of a RMB 350 billion fund to reduce pollution in cities, announced in December 2012.
Photo: theatlanticcities.com
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'The plan sets a target to reduce PM 2.5 emissions by 25 percent during the period.'
So....if pollution reached 850+ this past winter and let's say there is no increase to pollution levels in the next 5 years. (Hahaha ROTFLOL.) That means Beijing can look forward to seeing peaks of only 600+ pollution after all this money is spent?
GJ!
Sigh.
Pollution - it's the main reason I'm leaving.