Cities roll out measures

The Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau has recently put 100 million yuan into the program to help the tourism industry tide over the rough time.

"We offer guarantees for rural tourism players to get bank loans on preferential rates," Li says.

Tourism is among major industries in the country that are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 situation. The number of domestic tourist visits is expected to drop by 932 million in 2020, according to China Tourism Academy. The number will plummet most sharply in the first quarter, down by 56 percent compared with 2019, it says. Tourism-driven revenues will fall by 1.18 trillion yuan for the year.

Tourist visits to Beijing is estimated to drop by 44 million in the first three months of the year, down by 70 percent year-on-year, says Chen Dong, director of the Beijing Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Last year, Beijing received 320 million tourist visits, up 3.6 percent over 2018. Tourism income grew 5.1 percent to 622.5 billion yuan in 2019.

The capital city rolled out 13 supportive polices for tourism in March, including 345 million yuan worth of subsidies for businesses. It has offered tourism players free investment and finance consultation services and favorable loans, and is encouraging cultural and tourism spots to develop online products. The policies cover travel agencies, scenic spots and hotels, among others.