Understanding will be a key theme that the Europe Travel Commission (ETC) will adopt as it rolls out stronger efforts to grow Europe’s success as a destination for the Chinese, which has risen to become the continent’s second largest source market after the US.
Buoyed by easier visa process and increasing flight connectivity, Chinese numbers to Europe have shot up “like a rocket” in the last five years, said Eduardo Santander, executive director of ETC. Last year, China sent about 12 million visitors to the continent, which Santander acknowledges is still a far cry from Chinese arrival numbers to South-east Asia, for example.
Santander: understanding works two ways
“But we want quality over quantity,” emphasised Santander, when asked if the non-profit organisation, which has 32 NTO members, has set any arrival goals for the fast-growing market.
“Certain destinations like Venice and Barcelona are already seeing capacity problems, so we want to spread Chinese tourists to second-tier cities in Europe, which has a lot of heritage, shopping, wine and culture,” he added.
In particular, the Europe-China Tourism Year 2018 has been deemed a high-priority initiative by both the European Commission and Chinese government to not just attract the Chinese to Europe but to enhance their understanding of Europe.
Santander is quick to point out that the understanding will work in a two-way direction, as training and education will be provided to European operators to better cater to Chinese travellers, whether it’s making sure that there’s availability of hot water, Mandarin-speaking staff and CCTV channel at hotels.
More research and analysis will be undertaken with UNWTO, WTTC and European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) to better understand what Chinese travellers are seeking in Europe, he elaborated.
More attention will be devoted to the FIT market from China, especially as a new class of Chinese traveller no longer wants the traditional experiences in Europe, he added. “(They are) trying to discover the hidden tracks in Europe,” he remarked.
Emphasis will also be placed on fostering partnerships with craftsmenship industries like fashion and watch-making, which are “good magnets” for the Chinese to visit Europe to buy original products where they are produced, said Santander.
“We sell Europe as a collection of experiences – the history, wine, gastronmy, music, shopping, and so forth,” he added.
At ITB China 2017, where Europe is the official partner destination, ETC – together with ETOA, Welcome Chinese and China Outbound Tourism Research Institute – have come together to match 150 European tourism suppliers with the corresponding number of Chinese buyers with the World Bridge Tourism project.
