I suppose the hospitality industry doesn't really need foreign visitors in order to thrive, in part due to the fact that Chinese people who would normally go to places like Paris or New York now have to settle with domestic destinations, and have boatloads of coin to spend.

However, the same can't be said about students. Foreign students provide the exact same benefit to Chinese universities as Chinese students do to schools like UCR and Northeastern (cash cows). I also believe foreign students provide intangible value to their Chinese classmates, most of whom want to improve their English and enjoy healthy discourse about world affairs, but I realize Beijing might not be especially swayed by this line of thinking.