Lunar New Year traveler surge boosts China-Europe tourism revival

Home>>

(Xinhua) 08:34, February 16, 2024

A Chinese dragon-shaped desktop decoration is pictured at the Athens International Airport in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 12, 2024. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

The tourism comeback heralds the dawn of the China-Europe Tourism revival.

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The tourism and hospitality sector in Europe embraces a boost in Chinese travelers during the Lunar New Year holiday after the pandemic. And the trend is projected to hike further throughout the Year of the Dragon.

An Oxford Economics brief anticipated that the number of international outbound trips taken by Chinese travelers in 2024 will roughly double relative to 2023, to nearly 80 percent of the 2019 level.

The tourism comeback heralds the dawn of the China-Europe Tourism revival.

BOOST TO EUROPE TOURISM

Returning Chinese holiday-makers continue to find Europe attractive. According to an estimate by the European Travel Commission released Tuesday, European destinations can anticipate seeing further rebound from the Chinese market in 2024, predicted to reach over 60 percent of the 2019 level.

And their tastes are changing. As the life quality heads up, the younger generation in the world's second-largest economy is leveling up their holiday plans as well. A recent Reuters report noted Chinese travelers' appetite shift from shop-til-you-drop group tours to niche, flexible, and experience-based trips, for example, focusing on leisure, cuisine, or photography.

Tourism professionals are adapting and crafting tailored offers for Chinese guests.

In the Dutch village of Giethoorn, praised as "the Venice of the North," Gabriella Esselbrugge, a tourism entrepreneur, plans to innovate and improve boat and biking tours in the village and the national park, both popular activities among Chinese tourists.

More and more Chinese ski lovers are celebrating their traditional festival in ski camps and resorts in the Austrian Alps.

Yan Xu, director of SnowKing Ski Academy in Austria, said over 60 Chinese customers have registered at her academy during the Lunar New Year holiday. With her academy fully booked early on, she has also referred many Chinese customers to other ski academies.

Ivana Jelinic, president and CEO of the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT), expressed in a recent written interview with Xinhua that the number of Chinese tourists arriving in Italy is expected to reach and surpass the record set in 2019.

She believes that Chinese tourists are crucial for various tourism destinations in Italy, adding that the benefits can extend to all economic sectors impacted by an increase in incoming flows, including not only hospitality and direct services to tourists but also the entire sector of Made in Italy, retail, luxury, food and wine.

"2023 was largely a transition year after the pandemic. We are very much looking forward to 2024, the first normal year after 2019. We expect right now around 1 million to 1.2 million overnight stays from Greater China in 2024, or around 65 percent of the 2019 levels," Daniela Chiani, director for Greater China at Switzerland Tourism, told Xinhua in a virtual interview.

A staff member poses with a smurf costumed character wearing traditional Chinese clothes at the Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, Feb. 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)

AIR TRAVEL RESURGENCE

With eyes on rising travel demand, airlines ramp up capacity for Europe-China routes.

A Feb. 7 blog published by OAG, a British global travel data and aviation analytics provider, showed that markets in Europe are seeing strong airline capacity growth in China, in particular Italy, Britain, and Spain. Flight capacity connecting China and Italy in January 2024 was 159 percent of the same period in 2019, with China-Britain at 130 percent, and Spain at 122 percent. Germany and the Netherlands followed in the recovery rate, respectively at 92 and 80 percent.

In an interview with Xinhua in early February, the Hainan Airlines' Berlin office said that although winter is usually a low season for traveling to Europe, the Chinese New Year holiday has stimulated an increase in the passenger rate for Hainan Airlines' HU489 Beijing to Berlin flight in February compared to January. Currently, the Beijing to Berlin direct flight operated by Hainan Airlines has resumed to pre-pandemic levels, with three flights per week during the winter-spring season.

Air China has announced that it will launch daily flights between Barcelona and Beijing starting from March 31. The company returned to the Spanish city with three weekly flights in June 2023, following a three-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marta Ortiz, a Spanish representative for Air China, said the company has noticed "a big change ... the prospects for the next few months are good."