After three years of lockdowns and strict emergency measures enacted as a response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, China suddenly lifted all domestic and international travel restrictions in January 2023. The global tourism market was long awaiting the ease of all COVID-19 regulations by the Asian giant, as it marked the first step of the recovery path in one of the
. According to the latest figures published by the country’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the
exceeded 40 million in the first half of that year, being twice as many as in the whole of 2020. While the vast majority of outbound visitors preferred to remain within Asia in the months following China’s return to international tourism, Europe still represented the main long-haul
What are the preferred destinations of Chinese tourists in Europe?
While the
number of tourist arrivals from China to Europe surpassed 15 million before the impact of the health crisis, it declined sharply to under three million in 2020, then decreased even further in the following years, totaling around two million in 2022. Overall, both before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Central and Eastern European countries welcomed the highest number of travelers. That said, in a survey of the
preferred European destinations among Chinese travelers, France, Italy, and Germany ranked as the most popular countries for trips planned between January and April 2024, denoting also a strong interest in Western and Mediterranean Europe.
What are the main drivers and obstacles of tourism from China to Europe?
After the positive signs of recovery in 2023, the Chinese tourism market is predicted to grow at a much faster pace in 2024. That year, according to an October 2023 global study, the
average number of trips planned by Chinese travelers is forecast to be higher than that in Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom. When focusing on outbound tourism from China to Europe, a survey on the
main criteria for choosing a European destination in 2024 showed that safety level and quality of infrastructure ranked higher among Chinese compared to other long-haul travel markets. Meanwhile, looking at the
reasons to avoid long-haul trips to Europe, one in five respondents in China mentioned high travel expenses and limited vacation time.
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