Chinese outbound tourism to the EU had been a growing trend until 2019. The European Union registered nearly 8 million Chinese tourist arrivals that year, with France, Italy, and Germany as the most popular destinations. On average, Chinese travellers to Europe stay more than 10 days and spend over €1,000. The number of nights spent in the EU by Chinese travellers had tripled between 2006 and 2016, to reach around 25 million nights per year.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted this segment of the travel market. Border closures and travel restrictions led to a sharp decrease of Chinese outbound tourism to the EU. Now that China has lifted off its travel restrictions, experts expect Chinese outbound tourism to the EU to gradually recover.
Our Tourism Webinar Series
In the spring 2023, the EU SME Centre organised a series of tourism workshops with its partners in Europe. With this webinar recording, we aim to give to European SMEs a clearer understanding of the prospects of Chinese outbound tourism to the EU. Furthermore, this webinar explores the preferences of Chinese travellers and gives tips to travel industry professionals looking to fine-tune their marketing skills and strategies.
The situation in Spring 2023
- Development of Chinese tourism before and during pandemic
- Opening of borders and government regulations up to March 2023
- Changes in the demand and expectations of the different Chinese outbound tourism source market segments in the New Wave
How to react to the new needs and expectations when dealing with the Chinese outbound market
- New quantitative and qualitative KPIs to achieve Meaningful Tourism for Chinese visitors
- Product adaptation & product development
- Brand building and different forms of marketing: KOLs, KOCs, Recommendation marketing
- Communication and distribution channels
Outlook: The China outbound market in the coming years
Ways to stay competitive in the market
Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Founder and CEO, COTRI, EU SME Centre Expert
Welcome back to Italy! A forecast for the return of Chinese tourism
- 2022 – 2026 Winter Olympic games. Beijing passes the baton to Milan: what opportunities?
- The evolution of interest towards mountain tourism in China: from skiing to glamping. What’s next?
- Italy China air traffic update. Data on frequencies, routes and costs
- Profiling and segmentation of the future Chinese FIT tourist
Francesco Boggio Ferraris, ICCF
Q & A session
More on Chinese Outbound Tourism to Europe
Destination Europe: Chinese Tourism Infographic
We created an infographic showing the latest figures and expectations for the market. You will find here the emerging trends and market segments among Chinese travellers to the EU.
