Reference News Network, February 22** (Wen Kangyi) Chinese tourists favor overseas travel during the Spring Festival, and countries around the world are trying to welcome Chinese tourists and welcome the Chinese New Year; The visa-free policy has driven "two-way travel", spilled dividends over to other industries, and promoted people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries.
In celebration of the Chinese New Year, Hakkasan in central London has launched a special menu featuring new dishes and desserts featuring elements such as Chinese dragons and Chinese lanterns, as well as special cocktails inspired by Chinese paper cuts. Guests were also invited to write their New Year wishes on a red ribbon and hang it on the wishing tree in the restaurant.
Lauren Dorz, the restaurant's marketing manager, said in an interview that the Chinese New Year was "a really special moment." With the pandemic over, she is looking forward to more Chinese tourists coming to the UK. "With travel restrictions lifted, we welcome all our regular customers back and welcome some new friends as well," Doz said. ”
This year's Spring Festival is the first Spring Festival after the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to list the Lunar New Year as a United Nations holiday, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Headquarters in Vienna have also officially celebrated the Chinese New Year for the first time. At present, nearly 20 countries around the world have designated the Spring Festival as a legal holiday, and the Chinese New Year has been upgraded to the World Year. At the same time, with the implementation of China's visa-free policy for many European countries, the "two-way travel" continues to develop, and China's consumption vitality continues to emerge, bringing more dividends to Europe's tourism industry and even economic recovery.
Countries across Europe are gearing up.
During the Spring Festival, the staff dressed up as the Belgian Smurfs, dressed up in festive Chinese Tang costumes and red scarves to greet passengers at Brussels Airport, attracting many Chinese and foreign tourists to stop and take photos to celebrate the Spring Festival.
Urs Kessler, CEO of the Swiss Jungfrau Railway, said in an interview that the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Jungfrau region in Switzerland has risen steadily since the end of the pandemic.
In 2022, the famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang performed a piano performance at the Jungfrau railway station at an altitude of 3,454 meters, and Kessler still remembers it vividly, hoping that similar events will further bring Jungfrau closer to Chinese tourists. He said that the number of Chinese tourists visiting the Jungfrau region will recover to 60% of pre-pandemic levels this year, and it is expected to fully recover in 2025.
Kessler said that in order to welcome the arrival of the Spring Festival in the Year of the Dragon, from February 8 to 20, the train and platform were decorated with oriental elements to send blessings to Chinese guests. Kessler believes that this initiative will also help the local population understand Chinese culture.
Gabby, the image ambassador of the Netherlands Tourism Board and the mayor of Giethoorn, said that Giethoorn is one of the popular tourist destinations in the Netherlands favored by Chinese tourists. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Giethoorn increased significantly last year, and there will be more direct flights from China to the Netherlands this summer, "so that we can welcome more Chinese guests".
The number of Chinese tourists skiing in Austria during the Spring Festival this year is also far higher than before the pandemic. Xu Yan, principal of Austria's **Qi Ski School, said that during the Spring Festival, the school received more than 60 ski tourists from China, setting a new peak after the traditional Christmas and New Year holidays. According to her understanding, the number of Chinese tourists received by ski resorts in the Austrian Alps during the Spring Festival this year has increased exponentially.
Christophe Dequelou, director of the Tourism Bureau of the Paris Region, said at the opening ceremony of the 8th Europe-China Shopping Resources Fair, "The problems affecting the return of Chinese tourists, such as visa difficulties and few flights, are gradually being solved, and France looks forward to the return of Chinese tourists as soon as possible to bring back the local tourism industry to its former glory." Representatives of the industry at the meeting pointed out that at present, more Chinese tourists are shifting from group tours to independent travel or niche in-depth tours, and tourism service providers should adapt to the new situation and study and plan corresponding tourism projects.
Samaritaine's department store in the heart of Paris reopened in 2021 after more than a decade of restoration, with a team of Chinese speakers specially assembled for the convenience of Chinese guests. He Yingchao, director of tourism marketing at Samaritaine's department store, told reporters: "Now Chinese customers are not only shopping, they also want to know the story, culture and history behind the shopping place. I believe that there will be more Chinese guests after the Paris Olympics, and we are making the best and perfect preparations for the arrival of Chinese guests. ”
According to a report released by Oxford Economics in the United Kingdom, Chinese outbound travel will resume in 2023, and given the importance of China in the outbound travel market, global tourist destinations are eagerly looking forward to Chinese tourists. As the factors restricting the recovery of outbound tourism are gradually easing, it is expected that China's outbound tourism will continue to maintain the growth momentum of 2023 in 2024 and recover further. The number of Chinese tourists traveling abroad is expected to double this year compared to last year.
The spillover effect of tourism dividends is obvious.
Ivana Jelinic, director and CEO of the Italian National Tourism Agency, said in an interview with the reporter of "Reference News" that with this year's Spring Festival holiday as a starting point, the tourism trend of Chinese tourists to Italy will fully recover in 2024 and will reach a "new peak".
Jelinich noted a strong increase in Chinese tourist travel to Europe and Italy since the second half of 2023. She said that the Chinese New Year has always been one of the peak seasons for Chinese tourists, and the situation of tourists visiting during the Spring Festival will also be a bellwether for related trends in the coming months.
Jelinici said that the arrival of Chinese tourists is very important for all kinds of tourist destinations in Italy. She said that the increase in the number of Chinese tourists coming to Italy will not only benefit the hospitality and service sectors, but will also bring opportunities for the Made in Italy, retail, luxury and catering sectors.
Kessler also said that among the tourists visiting Jungfrau from all over the world, Chinese tourists have strong spending power, and their desire to buy souvenirs and enjoy interesting travel experiences is even higher than before the epidemic.
Geoff Balotti, president and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the United States, believes that the biggest driver for the further recovery of the global tourism industry is the increase in the occupancy rate of international tourists, and tourists from China will be the main driver of this momentum. Baloti said that now that there are more and more flights from China to Europe, such as Berlin and Paris, the recovery of Chinese outbound passenger traffic and the number of flights is a positive sign. He believes that the gradual resumption of outbound travel by Chinese tourists will greatly benefit Europe. "Chinese tourists not only like to stay in capitals, but are also interested in visiting cultural attractions across Europe. As a result, both popular tourist cities and lesser-known cities can feel the tourism boom from China. Baloti expects a boom in European tourism in 2024 as Chinese tourists return.
Visa exemption promotes people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries.
Before the Spring Festival, Ilya Yakovenko, a lover of Chinese culture, showed reporters the Chinese tourist visa he had just obtained outside the consular section of the Chinese Embassy in Slovakia. He said that he submitted his application two days ago and got his visa today, and the process is very fast. Jacovinco plans to fly to China from the nearby Vienna airport in a few days to experience the Chinese New Year firsthand.
At Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands, Michiel Florousse, creative director of Elfin Entertainment Support in the Netherlands, is about to board a flight to China. Florouse said that they and their Chinese partners are preparing for a tour of the Chinese ** Ballet Company to the Netherlands and other European countries, and this time they are going to Beijing to negotiate relevant matters with the Chinese side. "February 10 is the first day of the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, and we deliberately chose this meaningful date to launch ticket sales for this European tour. ”
Speaking about the visa-free policy, Florouse said it was a gift from China to the Netherlands. With the visa-free policy, it really saves a lot of time and money, and it is also very smooth in terms of itinerary planning such as booking hotels.
Dutch Tourism Ambassador Gaby has just returned from a 15-day trip to China, where he experienced the rich cultural, historical and natural landscapes, while focusing on local development and rural revitalization projects.
The rapid development of various parts of China has led to a focus on environmental and ecological protection, and the coexistence of modern cities and green spaces has been an eye-opener for me. "A lot of my friends are also taking advantage of the 15-day visa waiver to travel to China, and I say to them, 'China is big, there are so many places to go, 15 days is simply not enough'." ”
Hainan Airlines' Berlin office said that since China has tried to implement the unilateral visa-free policy for France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and other European countries, the benefits of the policy can be seen from the data. Taking Hainan Airlines' direct flight from Berlin to Beijing as an example, the load factor of economy class exceeded 80% in February, and the number of foreign passengers at the check-in counter was also clearly increased. Hainan Airlines' direct Beijing-Berlin route is scheduled to increase the frequency to five flights per week from April 2024. It is expected that Germany and the entire European Union can also provide more convenient visa policies for Chinese tourists, and further promote friendly exchanges and cooperation in various fields between China and Germany.
Thomas Boland, chief operating officer of Kibik Tourism in Germany, also said that China's visa-free policy has promoted the development of tourism at all levels, which is an important milestone. As a tourism practitioner with 40 years of experience, he very much welcomes this initiative. Boland hopes that the relevant German departments will also provide more convenient and professional travel services for Chinese tourists for business and vacation travel, and also provide convenience for Chinese business partners to come to Germany for ** or exhibition activities. (Participating in the writing: Wang Xiangjiang, Yu Tao, Jin Jing, Liu Fang, Shan Weiyi, Chen Binjie, Du Zheyu, Wang Lili, Guo Wendi, Huang **).
On February 9, at the airport in Brussels, Belgium, the "Smurfs" dressed in traditional Chinese costumes took a group photo with the crew. (Photo by Zhao Dingzhe).