A Chinese dragon-shaped desktop decoration photographed at Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece on February 12, 2024. (Xinhua News Agency/Marios Rolos)
The resurgence of tourism heralds the dawn of a resurgence of tourism in China and Europe.
BEIJING/BRUSSELS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) — Europe’s tourism and hospitality sector is welcoming an increase in Chinese tourists during the post-pandemic Lunar New Year holiday. And this trend is predicted to increase further throughout the Year of the Dragon.
A short report from Oxford Economics predicts that the number of overseas trips by Chinese travelers in 2024 will be nearly double that of 2023, and nearly 80% of 2019 levels.
The resurgence of tourism heralds the dawn of a resurgence of tourism in China and Europe.
Promote European tourism
Returning Chinese holidaymakers continue to be attracted to Europe. European destinations can expect further recovery from the Chinese market in 2024, with its share expected to reach more than 60% of 2019 levels, according to estimates from the European Travel Council published on Tuesday. There is.
And their tastes are changing too. As the quality of life improves, younger generations in the world’s second-largest economy are also increasing their vacation plans. According to a recent Reuters report, Chinese travelers’ appetite has shifted from shop-until-you-buy group tours to niche, flexible, experience-based travel with an emphasis on leisure, gourmet food, photography and more. It is said that it is.
Tourism experts create customized offers for Chinese guests.
In the Dutch village of Giethoorn, hailed as the “Venice of the North,” tourism entrepreneur Gabriela Esselbrugge innovates boat and bike tours in the village and national park, a popular activity for Chinese tourists. and plans to improve it.
More and more Chinese ski enthusiasts are celebrating traditional festivals at ski camps and resorts in the Austrian Alps.
Yan Xu, director of SnowKing Ski Academy in Austria, said more than 60 Chinese customers enrolled in her academy during the Lunar New Year holiday. She also referred many Chinese clients to other ski academies, as her academy filled up early on.
Ivana Jelinic, President and CEO of the Italian National Tourism Organization (ENIT), said in a recent written interview with Xinhua that the number of Chinese tourists arriving in Italy has reached the record set in 2019. It is expected to reach and exceed that amount.
She believes that Chinese tourists are extremely important to Italy’s various tourist destinations, and that the benefits include increased influx, not only for tourist hospitality and direct services, but also for the entire Made in Italy sector. It added that this could spread to all sectors of the economy that are affected. , Retail, Luxury, Food, Wine.
“2023 was primarily a year of post-pandemic transition. We are very much looking forward to 2024, which will be the first normal year after 2019. At present, in 2024, we will be able to accommodate guests from Greater China. We expect the number to be around 1 million to 1.2 million, or around 65% of the population, at 2019 levels,” Daniela Chiani, director of the Swiss Tourism Board for Greater China, told Xinhua in a virtual interview. .
A staff member poses with a Smurf costumed character in traditional Chinese clothing at Brussels Airport on February 9, 2024 in Zaventem, Belgium. (Xinhua News Agency/Zhao Dingzhe)
The revival of air travel
In view of rising travel demand, airlines are increasing capacity on routes between Europe and China.
A February 7 blog published by OAG, a UK-based global travel data and aviation analytics provider, shows that the European market is seeing significant increases in airline capacity in China, particularly in Italy, the UK and Spain. Ta. In January 2024, air transport capacity between China and Italy was 159% of the same period in 2019, 130% between China and the UK, and 122% between Spain. Germany and the Netherlands followed in terms of response rates at 92% and 80%, respectively.
In an interview with Xinhua News Agency in early February, Hainan Airlines’ Berlin office said that although winter is usually a slow season for European travel, the Lunar New Year holiday stimulated an increase in passenger traffic for Hainan Airlines’ flight HU489 from Beijing to Berlin. He said that Flights in February compared to January. Currently, Hainan Airlines’ direct flights between Beijing and Berlin have returned to pre-pandemic levels, with three flights per week from winter to spring.
Air China announced that it will begin daily flights between Barcelona and Beijing from March 31st. The airline returned to the Spanish city in June 2023 with three weekly flights after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marta Ortiz, Air China’s representative in Spain, said the airline had “realized that big changes are taking place…The outlook for the coming months is good.”
Air freight rates from China have similarly increased in the last full week ahead of the Lunar New Year on February 10, as shippers rush to ship goods before the holiday period, according to the latest statistics from WorldACD Market Data. . Monday’s Asian Airlines Blog.
According to data from WorldACD, an Amsterdam-based air cargo market data provider, prices for air cargo transportation from China to Europe increased from the previous week in the fifth week of 2024 (January 29 to February 4). It increased by 8% compared to the previous year.
This boom is shared on both sides of Eurasia. During a concert celebrating Chinese New Year in Berlin on January 31, Berlin resident Carola Busch expressed her enthusiasm for China’s visa-free policy in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.
“China’s visa-free policy is great. It’s great to visit other countries. It’s very important that the whole world has friendly relations,” she said.
Mr. Bush visited China four years ago and toured Beijing and Chengdu. She vividly recalls the scenery of Mount Emei and loves Chinese Kung Fu, describing it as a martial art that combines beauty and practicality.
“It would be even better if the visa exemption period was extended. I could live in China for the rest of my life!” she concluded.
The number of Chinese travelers like Mr. Bush has increased, especially after China extended its visa-free policy to ordinary passport holders from five European countries in December and expanded it to Switzerland and Ireland in January. ing.
People are on board. For example, in February, the economy class seat occupancy rate on Hainan Airlines flight HU490 from Berlin to Beijing exceeded 80%. For this reason, the company plans to increase its direct flights from Beijing to Berlin from three to five times a week from April 2024.
At Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, Jan van Elve, founder and CEO of Dutch company Irving Entertainment & Support BV, boarded a flight to China with the company’s creative director Michel Florse. I’m about to board a flight.
He said they are working with Chinese business partners to prepare for the China National Ballet (NBC)’s European tour, which will include the Netherlands, with ticket sales intentionally set to start on February 10. He added that he chose. The first day of Chinese New Year.
Van Elve said the visa-free policy would help business and tourism. “It’s easier to book now than it is to go through a whole process to get a visa. So I think it’s a really good thing that something like this is happening and I hope something like this is successful. I hope it continues.”
The spark of resurgence in Spring Festival tourism between China and Europe is expected to further ignite. The visa-free policy and optimistic outlook indicate that people-to-people exchanges between the two countries will flourish in the Year of the Dragon.
