Europe is unlikely to see the full benefits of Chinese tourists being able to travel again until next year, according to financial services and research group ING.
China’s recent removal of its strict Covid restrictions has finally reopened the country’s borders for inbound and outbound travel.
According to the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, as quoted by ING, 18 million Chinese tourists will travel internationally in the first half of this year, followed by 40 million in the second half of this year – a total which would still be just 40% of pre-Covid 2019 travel trends.
And, ING doesn’t see a full recovery in Chinese tourist numbers to Europe until 2024.
Long delays in getting updated passports and visas and a current lack of international flight capacity are hampering a bigger return to Europe for Chinese travellers. Several countries also still have restrictions in place regarding Chinese visitors and many Chinese people are opting to visit relatives closer to home as their first use of their new found freedom. There has been a huge surge in traffic between mainland China and Hong Kong since China lifted its restrictions.
Regarding Europe, where Italy remains the most popular destination for Chinese tourists, the number of Chinese consumers planning international travel is on the rise.
