Before-and-after photos show how the coronavirus has left Asia's biggest tourist attractions looking like ghost towns
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The coronavirus outbreak has wreaked havoc on the tourism industry in China and beyond.
Attractions like the Great Wall and Shanghai Disneyland have issued warnings to visitors, canceled events, or even shut down completely.
These photos show the stark contrast between Asia's biggest attractions when there is an epidemic raging and when there isn't.
The coronavirus outbreak is devastating tourism across Asia, and these images prove it.
The problem is twofold: Attractions within China are either shut or heavily restricted, and also Chinese tourists on lockdown are no longer flying abroad.
Neighboring countries like Japan, South Korea, and Thailand are especially affected.
These pairs of before-and-after photos show how individual landmarks have been left looking like ghost towns by an outbreak that has paralyzed large parts of a continent.
BEFORE: The Forbidden City in Beijing is one of the most visited sites in the world.
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Beijing has been experiencing a rise in tourist numbers, with more than 4 million arrivals in 2018, according to China Daily.
AFTER: The attraction was closed indefinitely to tourists at the end of January. Photos show a couple of people milling about by the entrance.
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The reopening of the museum is pending further notice, according to Reuters.
Source: China Daily, Reuters
BEFORE: The Temple of Heaven, a 15th-century religious center recognized by UNESCO, is another must-see Beijing attraction.
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AFTER: The attraction is still open, but numbers are way down.
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While the Temple of Heaven remains open to tourists, authorities closed down other Bejing hotspots, like the Ming Tombs and the Yinshan Pagoda, on January 24.
Source: Channel News Asia
BEFORE: The Great Wall of China is one of the most famous landmarks in the world.
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In 2019, officials had to cap visits at 65,000 a day because the Wall was overcrowded with local and international tourists.
Source: CNN
AFTER: Parts of The Great Wall have been closed to the public. It looks very different.
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In a bid to limit the spread of the virus, authorities announced on January 25 that the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China would temporarily close.
Tourists visiting other sections of the Wall will have their temperature checked, according to Channel News Asia.
Source: Channel News Asia
BEFORE: Shanghai Disneyland, which opened in 2016, attracted 11 million people in its debut year.
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The Disney theme park, which cost $5.5 billion, was the first of its kind in mainland China.
Source: Deadline
AFTER: On January 25, officials announced they would be closing the theme park indefinitely.
Reuters
BEFORE: Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, welcomed 35.8 million visitors in 2018, according to Statista.
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Known as the "Vegas of China," Macau has been attracting casino enthusiasts since gambling became legal in the 1960s.
AFTER: Macau closed its casinos for two weeks after 10 people tested positive for the coronavirus on February 4. They are now open again, but everybody has to wear a mask.
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During the closings, authorities said, the city was receiving about 2,000 visitors a day, a drop of 98% year-on-year.
A handful of Asian cities outside China are also struggling with the dwindling numbers of tourists.
Indonesian Foreign Ministry via AP
BEFORE: The Ratchada Train Night Market in Bangkok is usually teeming with people.
Reuters
Last year, 11 million Chinese visitors traveled to Thailand, but this number is expected to drop by 2 million this year, according to The Guardian.
Source: The Guardian
AFTER: The market is still open, but visitor numbers are down sharply.
AP
A market stall owner told The Guardian that his best-selling items had come to include disposable face masks, which surpassed sales of souvenirs such as pad-Thai fridge magnets.
With so few visitors, vendors say they are struggling to make ends meet.
Source: The Guardian
BEFORE: The Literature Temple in Hanoi, Vietnam, is often cited as one of the city's most picturesque tourist attractions.
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The coronavirus outbreak has had a big impact on Vietnam, which counts China as its largest trading partner.
Source: Reuters
AFTER: Here is the temple this year. Everyone has a face mask.
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On her trip to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, Business Insider's Kate Taylor noticed that most people in the city were wearing surgical masks and that "if you aren't wearing a mask, you are seen as potentially part of the problem."
Source: Business Insider
BEFORE: Here is the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum in Hanoi, a landmark that's often used for large state ceremonies.
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Vietnam had 1.5 million tourists visiting its cities in 2019, according to Vietnam Tourism. A third of them came from China.
Source: Vietnam Tourism
AFTER: These tourists, all with face masks, don't have much company.
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Tour operators in large cities like Ho Chi Minh City and Ha Long have been receiving about half the usual number of customers, according to Vietnam Insider. Hotels and resorts are also affected, suffering a 20% to 50% decline in occupancy.
Source: Vietnam Insider
BEFORE: Over the years, South Korea has seen a surge in visitor numbers, with almost 15.5 million in 2018. Gyeongbokgung Palace is one of its top attractions.
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Because of South Korea's proximity to China, a large proportion of its tourists come from there. Almost 4.8 million Chinese visitors traveled to South Korea in 2018, according to the Korean Tourism Organization.
Source: Statista, Korea Tourism Organization
AFTER: This picture shows quieter scenes in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace.
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On February 19, South Korea saw its coronavirus cases jump by 50%, raising its total to 46 from 31, the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a statement cited in The Japan Times.
Source: The Japan Times
BEFORE: Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in Asia and a big draw for tourists.
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On average, half a million people use the famous Shibuya Crossing every day including up to 3,000 every crossing cycle, according to the Associated Press.
Source: AP
AFTER: This image shows the crossing basically deserted.
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As of February 17, there were a total number of 59 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Japan.
The country made headlines when a large cruise ship called the Diamond Princess had to be put in quarantine after an outbreak of the virus on board.
Source: Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Statista
The common concern among all these countries is how long the virus will last, as they are already feeling the burden of a slowing tourist industry, according to the Financial Times.
Reuters
As the number of coronavirus cases increases, countries across the world are becoming increasingly worried about what this means for their tourism sectors and the overall economy.
Source: Financial Times
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