No longer a deluge but still a flood

Hamburg/Beijing. Venice, Barcelona, Fuessen, Lofoten Islands or the island of Palau ... "overtourism" is on the rise: Both cities and destinations are beginning to suffer under the strain of tourist masses. Blogs, media and administrators are rejecting this deluge, and have started regulating and setting limits. Are they harming the image of being the "good guys" from the world of travel? It certainly seems that way. Many consider the masses of visitors from China a big issue. That is, however, not the whole truth. Prof Wolgang Arlt, author of this column and our editorial expert for China, sheds some light on this issue. Prof Arlt is the founder of China Outbound Tourism Research Institute headquartered in Hamburg and is one of 500 recognised globally leading tourism experts of UNWTO.  

Beijing. Irrational outbound investment in hotels, real estate, entertainment, and sports clubs are over for aggressive Chinese dealmakers whose acquisition strategy is now restricted by local authorities' new investment policies. HNA, Anbang, Fosun, etc. are now limited in their moves which raises concerns abroad regarding their due payments and further ongoing acquisitions. Will HNA be able to actually buy Rezidor's remaining shares as it is compelled to? Nothing is sure at this point. The company needs to make decisions and "big brother" is watching.