The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world hard, costing more than three and half million lives. Governments around the globe are not in a consensus position on the most appropriate response to the pandemic. This study utilizes an economic model to assess choices and compare outcome of public health policies using China as a case study. A lax policy could have costed the country up to 97% of inbound tourism revenue; reduced real gross domestic product by 11% and decreased employment by 15%. Analysis shows that the appropriate prevention and control policy of the Chinese Government have mitigated the impact of COVID-19 significantly for both tourism and non-tourism sectors. Importantly, the article highlights that the substantial negative impact on investment in tourism will slow down the sector’s recovery. The article calls for strong tourism-focused response policies for a speedy recovery.