BRUSSELS, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Spring Festival is a "Chinese moment" for the reunion of thousands of families, and it is also an international holiday celebrated by the whole world. As China's outbound tourism continues to pick up during the Spring Festival, people from many European countries are hotly discussing the bright color of Chinese outbound tourism, looking forward to the arrival of Chinese tourists to add heat to the European tourism industry.
In a recent interview with Xinhua News Agency, Urs Kessler, CEO of the Jungfrau Railway in Switzerland, said that the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Jungfrau region is steadily rising. From 8 to 20 February, the Jungfrau Railway Company blessed Chinese tourists with oriental decorations on its trains and platforms. Kessler said that such special arrangements will also help the local Swiss people understand Chinese culture.
Kessler said that in April 2022, Chinese pianist Lang Lang presented a piano solo at the Jungfrau railway station at an altitude of 3,454 meters above sea level, promoting cultural exchanges between China and Europe "through music". He still remembers the scene vividly, and hopes to hold more similar events in the future to "further bring Chinese tourists closer together".
This is a giant light show called "The Dragon of Davos" filmed in the early hours of February 2 in Davos, Switzerland. Xinhua News Agency (Photo provided by the interviewee, photo by Mike Kessler) In Giethoorn, a tourist "star village" in the northern Netherlands, Chinese tourists wander around. Gaby, the image ambassador of the Dutch Tourism Board and the head of Giethoorn, told reporters that Giethoorn is one of the popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands favored by Chinese tourists. In the past year, there has been a rapid increase in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Giethoorn. With the increase in direct flights from China to the Netherlands this summer, Giethoorn is expected to welcome more Chinese tourists.
Ivana Jelinici, Director General and CEO of Italian National Tourism, said that the Spring Festival is the peak period for Chinese tourists, and Italy's natural beauty, architectural beauty and special cuisine are important tourism resources to attract Chinese tourists. China's outbound tourism market has huge potential, and in 2024, starting with the Spring Festival holiday in the Year of the Dragon, it is expected that the scale of Chinese tourists visiting Italy will fully recover.
Jelinich said that since the second half of last year, Chinese tourists' travel to Italy and other European countries has continued to pick up. The arrival of Chinese tourists is very important for all kinds of tourist destinations in Italy. The increase in the number of Chinese tourists will not only benefit Italy's tourism-related industries, but will also bring opportunities for the "Made in Italy", retail and catering sectors.
People experience Chinese tea art at the FAO headquarters in Rome, Italy, on February 2. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Jing Christophe Dequelou, director of the Paris Region Tourism Bureau, said at the opening ceremony of the 8th EU-China Travel Resource Fair held in early February that the problems of high visa difficulty affecting Chinese tourists to travel to France are gradually improving, and France is looking forward to the arrival of more Chinese tourists to boost the French tourism industry. Some participants in the tourism industry also pointed out that more and more Chinese tourists are shifting from group tours to independent travel or niche in-depth tours, and tourism service providers should adapt to these changes as soon as possible and plan accordingly.
Guff Balotti, president and CEO of Wyndham Hotel Group in the United States, said in an interview with local** in Germany that there are now more and more flights to European cities such as Berlin in Germany and Paris in France, and the continuous recovery of outbound travel by Chinese tourists has benefited the European tourism industry.
Baloti said that Chinese tourists not only like to stay in European capitals, but are also interested in visiting cultural attractions in other cities. As a result, both popular and lesser-known cities in Europe are expected to feel the popularity of outbound travel by Chinese tourists. (Note-taker: Kang Yi; Participating reporters: Wang Xiangjiang, Yu Tao, Jin Jing, Liu Fang, Shan Weiyi, Chen Binjie, Du Zheyu, Wang Lili, Guo Wendi, Huang **, Ren Yaoting, Peng Zhuo).