Analysis: Why Chinese influencers are flocking to a Costco in Shanghai (and no, it’s not for the discounts)

With overseas travel no longer viable, Chinese authorities have promoted domestic tourism as an alternative. China’s vast size and rich diversity have played to its advantage, but it remains to be seen how much longer Chinese citizens will be content with being shut off from the real LA, Paris or Tokyo.And with the highly infectious Delta variant, even domestic travel can be risky. China’s latest outbreak, which has infected more than 300 people across 12 provinces, is linked to a dozen tour groups, according to health authorities. Travel agencies have also been banned from organizing cross-provincial tours in regions with high case numbers.In the country’s northwest, hundreds of domestic tourists were trapped in Inner Mongolia and Gansu for days when authorities imposed stringent lockdowns to curb the spread of the virus. In Ejin Banner, a region of Inner Mongolia, the local tourism board apologized by offering trapped tourists free entry to three popular attractions, redeemable within three years. But whether they will be willing to return is another story.