China's former 'sex capital', Dongguan, is facing a major slump in visitor numbers and a falling hotel revenue in a market which used to generate 300 million yuan ($48 million) annually, two months after a crackdown on the city's smut began.
The crackdown aimed to eliminate prostitution in the city after a CCTV expose on the underground sex trade on February 9, and has seen hundreds of arrests and the closure of multiple entertainment venues. The city was once infamous for its casinos, brothels, massage parlours, and bath centres, with corrupt local officials blamed for the city's continuing obscenity.
However, without the seedy draw of prostitution, it seems visitors are no longer interested in the Guangdong city. One cab driver, surnamed Li, speculated that the total number of visitors has dropped by 50 to 60 percent in Houjie, one of the city's main red light areas, while numbers have diminished by 80 to 90 percent in Kangle Nan Lu- a main downtown centre in Houjie. Li estimates that around 80,000 people have left the city since the onset of the crackdown, including 70 percent of sex workers according to locals.
Dongguan's total retail sales grew by 8 percent from the same period last year, ranking 20th among the 21 prefecture-level cities in the province, whilst annual GDP growth stood at 7.3 percent during the first quarter, 1.3 percentage points lower than last year, according to local bureau statistics. The slow growth rate correlates to the declining tourism industry in the city.
[Image via CNS]
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