The return of Chinese tourists helps to vitalize the European tourism market and economy

Deepening tourism cooperation between China and Europe will help vitalize the continent’s economy as tourism is one of the pillar industries.

Travel agency figures show that travel products to Europe have become hot sellers since early 2023, after China eased outbound travel restrictions following the pandemic.

Traditionally popular European destinations such as France, Spain and Greece remain top choices for Chinese travellers, while ‘niche’ destinations such as Serbia and Montenegro have also become trendy.

“Some European destinations, including Athens, Berlin, Milan and Zurich, have seen an increase in searches on our platform recently,” said online travel agency Qunar.

For example, from April 22 to 28, searches for travel products to Athens almost tripled, while searches for Berlin-related products almost quadrupled compared to the previous week.

Qi Chunguang, vice president of Tuniu, said destinations in Central and Eastern Europe have also attracted more Chinese travelers due to lower costs and friendlier visa policies.

“A continuous trip to Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary typically costs 25,000 yuan ($3,500) to 30,000 yuan per person in summer, while a trip to the United Kingdom and Ireland in summer costs almost 40,000 yuan per person,” he said. “The addition of direct flights from China to destinations in Eastern Europe and easier visa application procedures also make Central and Eastern Europe more attractive.”

Tourism industry insiders said Europe is happy to see more Chinese travelers, who will revive the continent’s economy and help boost tourism-related employment.

Data analytics company Statista – founded in Hamburg, Germany – said the total contribution of travel and tourism to Europe’s GDP was around $2.1 trillion in 2019, the year before the pandemic struck, while that fell to around $1.0 trillion in 2022. 9 trillion dollars.

Travel and tourism represent a large part of some economies in Europe. For example, according to Statista, 24.8 percent of Croatia’s GDP came from travel and tourism in 2019.

Sandra Carvao, head of the Department of Tourism Market Intelligence and Competitiveness at the World Tourism Organization, told People’s Daily in a recent interview that China is one of the world’s largest sources of travelers, so the recovery of China’s tourism market is crucial is for the development of the European tourism sector.

Eduardo Santander, executive director of the European Travel Commission, told People’s Daily that destinations in Europe have made great efforts to attract Chinese travelers, such as deepening cooperation with Chinese airlines and organizing tourism exhibitions in China.

He said China was the second largest source of travelers to Europe before the pandemic, and he hopes to see a growing number of Chinese travelers coming to the continent this year.