Taxi drivers, toilets, pollution... Top six complaints about Beijing from foreign tourists

After three consecutive years of declining inbound tourist numbers, China is launching a series of measures to attract overseas travellers, including easing visa arrangements, introducing a tax refund policy and upgrading toilets.

Visits by foreign tourists declined by 2.2 per cent in 2012 to 132 million, then by a further 2.5 per cent in 2013 and 0.45 per cent in 2014, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

But tourists still have several complaints. Here, in tourists’ own words, are six of their biggest concerns:

1. TAXI DRIVERS

“I took a taxi from the airport to my hotel and the driver asked for 480 yuan (HK$590). But when I checked with my hotel, I was told that the fee would be no more than 180 yuan.”
Xu Zhiyong, South Korea