The Future of the Chinese Tourism in Europe
Three expert speakers from the tourism industry, focusing on Chinese tourism, shared their insights on its trajectory in a recent webinar on March 14. The event was open to participants who signed up for free and could ask questions relayed to the speakers.
If you are based in China, you can download the video from this Link
Summary of the webinar:
Alain Chen
Alain Chen from Ctrip.com spoke about the current state of China’s outbound market to Europe and the changes that have occurred due to Covid-19. He shared that flight capacity and the visa application process were initially barriers to Chinese tourists. However, in recent times, flight capacity has recovered up to 70% for some destinations such as Germany and Holland, with countries like Spain and Italy seeing numbers even exceeding pre-Covid levels. The visa application process, which initially took 2-3 months, has also improved significantly. The second part of Alain's talk focused on Ctrip.com, explaining their business model in the travel industry in China.
Emanuel Lehner
Emanuel Lehner, running Austria's official tourism promotion efforts in Asia, discussed the state of Chinese tourism in Austria. He mentioned that the Chinese market, which in 2019 accounted for around 1 million visitors, had declined significantly due to Covid-19. However, a significant change is that the length of stay for Chinese tourists has increased dramatically, suggesting a shift towards more extended, immersive travel experiences. Lehner's discussion underscored the need for flexibility and adaptability within the tourism sector, marking a shift from quantity to quality. By acknowledging and understanding these emerging trends, there is a clear opportunity for Austria and other European countries to adapt their tourism strategy to meet the changing expectations and demands of Chinese tourists.
Xiu Xiaoling
Xiu Xiaoling, the head of a large incoming agency in Nordic countries, focused on the evolution of Chinese tourists' behavior, particularly in the post-Covid era. Her insights highlighted a trend towards more self-directed, flexible travel experiences by Chinese visitors, underscoring a strong preference for local culture and natural attractions. She made it evident that the Chinese tourists' travel mindset has shifted significantly, departing from traditional travel packages' structured rigidity to favor exploration, freedom and personalization. This new trend sees tourists designing their own itineraries and opting for activities that allow for deeper engagement with local communities and ecosystems. Xiaoling specifically discussed the older demographic of tourists, pointing out that while a movement towards flexible travel is notably seen amongst younger Chinese tourists, the older demographic generally still preferred the traditional travel packages. This information suggests the importance of offering a diverse set of travel packages.
Conclusion
Despite the challenges, including reduced flight capacity and extensive visa processing times, there are signs of recovery. A significant shift towards more immersive and extended travel experiences by Chinese tourists was a common theme raised by all the speakers. The webinar indicated that adaptation to these changing preferences might be key for the tourism industry to fully recover in the post-pandemic era.
The webinar was hosted by Marek Matura, the managing partner at Shanghai, and Alexander Schultz who oversees the same organization in Europe.
Download Slides
Free download of the slides used by the speakers during the webinar.
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