mo4ch:>Patriotic tourism: Chinese holiday makers snub US destinations as trade war simmers | Mo4ch News

The number of US-bound Chinese tourists, coveted for their huge spending power, has fallen for the first time in 15 years, dropping nearly 10 percent last year, compared to 2017.Some 2.9 million travelers from China chose to go to the US in 2018, according to AP, which cited the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) data, which comes from US Customs forms. That’s 300,000 less than in 2017, the NTTO data shows.Also on rt.comMedical tourism to Russia booms as high-quality, low-cost treatment attracts foreignersChinese tourism to the US has been on the rise since 2003. In 2017, the number of visitors from China was the fifth highest behind Canada, Mexico, Britain and Japan. However, the Chinese outpaced others with their sum total of travel exports for all purposes, including education. Last year, they spent $35.3 billion in the US – some 14 percent of the total $251.4 billion visitors spent last year.The drop may be only temporary, due to China’s growing middle class. It is expected…