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Chinese tourism in Europe - statistics & facts

International tourism from China has been booming in recent times but saw a dramatic shift during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In order to restrict the spread of the virus, the Asian giant introduced strict travel restrictions to both inbound and overseas trips, causing a slump in China’s tourism revenue. However, this was not enough to put off eager Chinese travelers, as, despite the dramatic drop in spending, China was the country with the highest outbound tourism expenditure worldwide in 2021. That being said, the decision to pursue a zero-Covid policy still upended outbound tourism, as the only destination for which quarantine measures did not apply was Macau. This meant that travelers that left and re-entered China would potentially have to quarantine for weeks and even pay for their own quarantine accommodation, which was an unappealing option for many. Due to these strict regulations, tourist arrivals from China to Europe shrunk in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic across all regions. Central/Eastern and Western Europe, which reported the highest tourism volume from China in 2019, saw the sharpest decreases in tourist numbers.

Impact of COVID-19 on Chinese tourism in Europe

Prior to the health crisis, the number of Chinese tourist arrivals to all forms of paid accommodation totaled nearly 1.6 million in Germany and reached one million in Austria. Subsequently, in 2021, these figures fell respectively to below 55 thousand and 10 thousand. Additionally, countries from other European regions also experienced a similar trend. For instance, tourist visits to the United Kingdom from China declined by roughly a million in 2021 compared to 2019. Meanwhile, Chinese tourists in Spain did not surpass 30 thousand that year. However, tourism figures in the second-leading global market based on travel and tourism contribution to GDP may soon see growth with the unexpected easing of all travel restrictions announced by the Chinese government in early January 2023.

How fast will Chinese tourism in Europe recover?

Following China’s sudden decision to open its international borders after three years of closures, some European destinations, including Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Germany, gradually decided to introduce restrictions to travelers coming from the Asian country, such as the need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result. Europe’s worried response to China’s 2023 COVID-19 wave suggests that Chinese tourism’s recovery might take some time. In this respect, an October 2022 study focusing on the expected time frame of traveling abroad from China after the ease of quarantine restrictions showed that over half of the polled Chinese consumers might wait several months to over a year before taking international trips. The same survey also revealed that just five percent of the sample mentioned Western Europe as the preferred destination to visit after China lifted travel restrictions, though this figure nearly doubled when focusing on higher-income respondents.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 16, 2023

Key insights

European region with most tourist arrivals from China prior to COVID-19
Central/Eastern Europe
Number of tourist arrivals from China to Western Europe
1.2m
European Union (EU) Schengen visas issued in China
24k
Get more insights

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Number of tourist arrivals from China to Europe from 2019 to 2021, by region of destination (in 1,000s)

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Number of tourist arrivals from China to Europe 2019-2021, by region of destination

Arrivals of tourists from China in all forms of paid accommodation establishments in selected European countries from 2015 to 2021

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Chinese tourist arrivals in selected European countries 2015-2021

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