Iinteresting, safe and easy to reach, China has what it takes to become Asia’s top tourist destination. Indeed it was. According to the government, in the first half of 2019, before the emergence of Covid-19, China’s travel agencies handled 8.6 million tourist visits; this figure was more than any other country in the region (see Table 1). Chinese border officials recorded 47.7 million entries and exits of foreigners, including non-tourists, during this period. But after falling during the pandemic, these figures have yet to fully recover, reaching 3.1 million and 29.2 million respectively in the first half of this year.