From Iceland to Maldives, Chinese seek 'lung cleansing' trips

Sudden demand for faraway places with clean air comes in wake of toxic haze over country

Published Mon, Jan 9, 2017 · 09:50 PM

    Beijing

    TOXIC haze that settled over much of China during the last three weeks has triggered a flight reflex among residents, leading to the rising popularity of smog avoidance travel packages to far-flung locations such as Iceland and Antarctica.

    Traveler's online keyword searches for terms such as "smog escape," "lung cleansing" and "forests" had tripled amid the air pollution, according to a report titled "Smog Escape Travel Ranking" from Ctrip.com International last month.