Strong arrivals from Gulf states are driving recovery in China’s Guangzhou, with one hotel reporting rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
Franco Io, general manager of LN Garden Hotel, reported 100 per cent recovery in 2023 compared to 2019. “We’ve been surprised at how fast the foreign market has recovered,” he said.
He noted that the rebound has been predominantly led by Gulf states, mainly due to Emirates and Turkish Airlines being two of the first airlines to resume routes there.
“When China opened, they started flying immediately and this helped drive business from the Gulf,” Io added.
“In the Gulf states, everything is sparkling and new, and there is a lot of that going on in Guangzhou and China, so that has helped.”
Io said the surge in arrivals from Gulf states has been followed by strong South-east Asian arrivals. There was also a pick-up in arrivals from the European and North American markets at the end of 2023.
He added that arrivals are a healthy mix of business and leisure travellers keen to explore a destination that “flies under the shadow of Shanghai and Beijing”, but offers better value for money.
In addition, he noted an uptick in business travellers extending their stay for two to three days.
