Tourism a major casualty of China quake

Tourism may prove one of the bigger casualties from a strong earthquake that struck a region of southwestern China whose natural beauty and Tibetan heritage draw millions of visitors each year.

Twenty people were killed by Tuesday’s 6.5-magnitude quake in Sichuan province, a comparatively low toll -- thanks to the area’s remoteness -- for a country prone to some of the world’s deadliest quakes.

But the disaster deals an economic blow to Jiuzhaigou, a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site renowned in China and whose mostly ethnic Tibetan and Qiang people depend heavily on income from visitors.

“There probably won’t be any more tourists the rest of the year. It may take two or three years for things to get back to normal,” Yang Siding, a Tibetan in his 30s, told AFP.

“We pretty much depend entirely on tourism to make a living. We have nothing else,” Yang, who runs a guesthouse, said while checking on his apartment following an aftershock.

Jiuzhaigou is prized as one of heavily polluted China’s few remaining areas of pristine beauty. More than 140 lakes, ranging from crystal-clear to turquoise, lie at the feet of forested mountains.

Despite its remoteness, the local government said the park hit its maximum daily capacity of 41,000 visitors just days before the quake, after luring 1.56 million tourists in 2017’s first half.

More than 30,000 tourists were in the park when the quake struck, heavily damaging at least one hotel. At least six visitors and two Jiuzhaigou residents were among the quake dead.

Most damage from the quake appeared caused by landslides, and harrowing reports emerged describing people being killed or injured by boulders smashing into buildings and cars.

More than 30,000 tourists were evacuated by late Wednesday.

National tourism authorities have issued their highest safety warning for Jiuzhaigou, telling tourists to stay away and travel agencies to cease organising trips amid recurring aftershocks and landslides.

Normally bustling Jiuzhaigou hamlets like Zhangzha now resemble ghost towns, according to AFP journalists who visited Thursday. Although quake damage appeared minimal, hotels and shops were boarded up or deserted along rubbishstrewn streets.

Tourism had proved a local godsend as China’s growing middle class increasingly catches the travel bug. Residents say many who grew up as poor farmers now have cars and some can even afford second homes in big cities.

“After tourism came here (around 2000) our quality of life improved so much,” said Yang.

“Now I suppose we’ll have to go out elsewhere and find jobs.”