Hazy weather is now the No.1 wet blanket for tourists. Accordingly, several tourist attractions in Anhui province have tried to monitor the indices of PM2.5 and negative oxygen ions, intending to provide more information for future visitors.

Weather conditions have now become a huge concern for tourists. Some people, for example, who planned to appreciate the grandeur of the Yangtze River in Wuhan city saw nothing but thick smog instead. According to the vice president of a travel agency in Anhui province, the tourist numbers to Beijing are 20 percent lower this year, but cities with better weather conditions like Amoy, Hainan and Yunnan are receiving huge number of visitors.

That’s why weather conditions have also become an important element for travel agencies when designing their travel routes. But they are having a hard time for the lack of formal access to this information.

Fujian province has been monitoring and releasing the indeces for PM2.5 and negative oxygen ions at its 50 top scenic spots. Currently there is no monitoring available in Anhui province. But Huangshan Mountain and Jiuhua Mountain have already had their own environmental monitoring spots supported by the Anhui Environmental Monitoring Center. After an update last year, the location in Huangshan Mountain is now able to detect the PM2.5 index, but has not been publicizing it yet.

The concerns about weather are also creating opportunities for some new tourist attractions. For instance, Wanfo Mountain in Shucheng county, Anhui province, is becoming popular among tourists for its ecological environment.

Edited by Brian Salter, Huang Pei