An Evaluation of the COVID-19 Pandemic with China and Islam
Impacts on Tourism
The Ecosystem and Tourism
What I found very interesting with regards to tourism during the pandemic, is how it has affected the ecosystem and wildlife of many small, tourism-heavy towns. The example that I found was in Lopburi, Thailand. I know that this is neither China nor the middle east, but I think it can serve as a useful example for what could be happening in many places, including both China and the middle east. In an article by Daily Mail, a “Planet of the Apes”-esque scene is described. They discuss how in this town, the monkeys were used to being very well fed by the tourists who frequented Lopburi. Now that those tourists were no longer coming to Lopburi because of COVID-19, the monkeys were not being fed nearly as much as they had been previously. This prompted them to take matters into their own hands.
The monkeys broke up into what is described by the article as “rival gangs” and began fighting for food. There is a video that shows exactly this. It starts with monkeys just wandering around the city, and then you see one monkey running with some food, only to get tackled and attacked by a horde of other monkeys trying to take it from him. Then the video moves on to show more of the monkeys roaming around the town and disrupting life for everyone there. They stop traffic, make it very difficult to walk anywhere, and almost impossible to work, as the monkeys were running in and out of buildings as well.
I was shocked at the effect that tourism has on the wildlife. When I thought about the stoppage of tourism, my only real thought was that the economies of these places would take a large hit. I didn’t think about what would happen to the animals. It makes sense though. Even though they are always told not to, tourists feed animals. I don’t know why, but they do. Once those tourists are gone, the animals have no one left to con into giving them food, as the locals aren’t going to do it. They have become so reliant on food from humans that they have no choice but to go into the towns and find some for themselves. Pretty crazy stuff.
Impacts on Tourism Cont.
Our Roots
With sweeping lockdowns instituted by the Chinese government in February to stymie the spread of COVID-19, how has China’s once thriving tourism industry been impacted? While the effects won’t be entirely clear until the dust settles, some reports estimate that the number of domestic tourists may have dropped by as much as 41% between the first and second quarters of the 2020 fiscal year. The steep decline in tourists is projected to have an even more devastating impact on China’s domestic tourism revenue, with as much as 48% drop between the first and second quarters. If correct, the impact of China’s declining tourism would amount to losses topping 62 billion USD in the second quarter alone.
China’s tourism industry does seem to be making somewhat of a comeback with recent easing of travel restrictions. CNN travel reported that early April saw tourists packing restaurants and shopping centers to full capacity. Popular locations like parks have also seen a surge in attendance, with Huangshan mountain park exceeding its 20,000-person capacity. Yet experts are unsure that the country is prepared for such a large-scale return to normalcy, given the possibility of a second major wave of infections. In a recent press release addressing proposed models of a second wave of infections, Gabriel M Leung (senior professor at the University of Hong Kong) warned that "Even in the most prosperous and well-resourced megacities like Beijing and Shanghai, health-care resources are finite, and services will struggle with a sudden increase in demand".
Many other sectors of the Chinese economy have seen significant declines with the economic damage of COVID-19. Retail sales in the second quarter were down 20% compared to 2019, while fixed asset investments dropped 25% compared to the same period. There can be little doubt that these declines are, in part, due to the steep drop-off in tourism. The Chinese government has attempted to manage the economic fallout with a series of economic stimulus packages, the most recent of which amounted to $78.6 billion and a $140 billion extension of the central bank’s credit line to small banks to fuel lending. A large-scale bailout is not expected, as government officials are keeping a close eye on the rate of inflation.
This is not to say that all businesses in China are suffering equally. Indeed, online food retailers have seen massive spikes in orders. JD.com, a powerhouse in China’s e-commerce economy, reported a 374% increase in grocery sales in the early part of February. Missfresh, another online grocery store, has seen a 300% or more increase in stock trading volume. Even the e-commerce giant Alibaba has weathered the storm, reporting a fivefold increase in online food sales. These numbers don’t not bode well for restaurants in China, which may leave the tourist who do visit somewhat disappointed.