B.C. tour operator says business suffering as Canada-China tensions escalate

A Richmond tour operator says he's experiencing a downturn in business due to rising political tensions between China and Canada.

"It's really slow now — really slow," said Richard Zhang of CCVIP Travel.

Zhang says with the Lunar New Year just around the corner, his staff should be fully occupied but, this year, he's only booked about half the number of tour groups compared to last year.

"Last year, so many people come to visit Canada," said Zhang who has been in business since 2009. "This year, not many."

He blames the decline on the diplomatic battle that's brewing between Canada and China — the primary source of his customers.

Ever since Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested while in Vancouver in December of 2018, he says tourists from that country have seemed less keen on visiting.

He says he's even had to reassure potential customers who were worried they could be arrested while in Canada, after seeing images of Zhou in court.

"We just say, 'no. No way of that,'" says Zhang with a shake of his head.

'I just feel unsafe'

According to the Crown corporation, Destination Canada, in 2016 and 2017, China was the country's third largest market for tourism. Almost half of Chinese tourists who arrive here, end up in B.C.

The concerns being relayed now are a stark change from last year, when the organization dubbed 2018 the Canada-China year of tourism.

It's not just Chinese tourists who are having second thoughts, Canadians are also rethinking whether they should spend time in China.

"I just feel unsafe," said Vancouver's Jonathan Wong about visiting China after stepping off a flight from Hong Kong on Tuesday.

Fellow passenger Lorna Hernandez, says she feels "a little bit scared" after seeing several Canadians being detained while another was sentenced to death for drug smuggling.

On Tuesday, Canada issued an updated travel advisory for China, warning citizens about the risk of arbitrary enforcement of laws in that country.

Hours later, China criticized the move and issued its own travel warning for Chinese citizens travelling to Canada.