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European destinations need to devise new strategies to attract Chinese tourists.
— Dawit Habtemariam
Europe may not see a resurgence of tourists from China, one of its main source markets. Chinese people’s interest in traveling to Europe is declining, according to a survey released by the European Travel Council on Tuesday.
According to the European Travel Council, only about 57% of Chinese tourists surveyed said they intended to travel to Europe in 2024, down from 71% in 2023.
One factor contributing to the decline was that Chinese people preferred to travel within Asia. This preferential treatment comes as several destinations in Southeast Asia have relaxed visa policies. For example, Thailand and China agreed this year to waive permanent resident visas.
Destinations with simplified visa procedures have clear advantages for Chinese tourists, said Boon Siang Chai, managing director and vice president of international markets at Trip.com, in Skift’s Global Market in December. – Speaking at Forum East.
Chinese tourists also cited financial concerns and limited vacation time as reasons for not planning a trip to Europe.
Europe needs tourists from China
Before the pandemic, China was an important tourism market for several European destinations. For example, for the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, this was the top source market.
Jos Franken, managing director of the Dutch Tourism and Convention Board, said in December that “China is the most important source market from Asia, but the level is only 50% of pre-COVID-19 levels.” .
Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were the second-highest spenders in the UK after Americans, VisitBritain chief executive Patricia Yates said.
