The travelers Chinese return to Italy. The Bel Paese, renowned for its typical food and wine, cities of art and fashion brands, is now also tempting for nature, sport, bleisure and wellness. in Europe in 2023 – based on the projections of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute released by the European Travel Commission – it is possible to expect around 6 million Arrivals of which 2 millions should concern Italy. According to one studio ENITelaborated on a sample of Chinese citizens residing in first-tier cities and with travel experience abroad during the two-year period 2028 – 2019, Italy is the most attractive destination (38%) among the main competitors in Europe. Followed by Switzerland (35%) and France (31%). The Civil Aviation Administration of China said that by the end of 2023, China’s in&out air traffic will recover 75% from pre-pandemic levels.
Italy the most attractive in Europe
Among prospective Chinese travellers, Italy has a reputation as a diverse country with many attractive features. The famous Chinese online portal Sohu.com (one of the most important ever for current news, sport, lifestyle & society) has compiled the classification updated as of Spring 2023 of the most influential brands among global tourism destinations in China, using online performance results (search + social media) as a metric. Italy is overall in seventh position, just behind the main Asian destinations and the second European destination after Switzerland. Considering only the parameter “social media activity”Italy is in first position among European destinations and 4th in the overall ranking even surpassing Thailand (a country traditionally at the top of travel choices for Chinese tourists leaving Greater China).
The tourist tax system which rises every year could also distort the decisions of Chinese tourists, but also a deterioration in trade relations with Beijing could have a negative influence on incoming visitors.
The new trends of Chinese tourism
Enit also examined i new trends in Chinese tourism and the strengths and weaknesses of the Italian tourist offer. The Chinese experiment l’Italia outdoor in contact with the mountain It’s the nature. The hit and run visit to the main ones art City it is no longer sufficient to satisfy travel expectations. Young people in China are paying a lot of attention to career and self-assertion and tend to experiment authentic locations, destinations that enable in-depth travel experiences. The Chinese today look at previously unconsidered destinations such as the Sicilythe Cinque Terre not seaside destinations that were previously neglected and are now lived fully, albeit in peculiar ways.
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In 2024 we surpass 2019
Two are traditionally i peaks in terms of arrivals: i summer months of July and August and the Golden Week (first week of October). The number of outbound travel from China is expected to surpass 2019 levels by 2024. One result of the pandemic is less interest in group tours with strangers. The equilibrium shifts strongly towards i tailor-made trips with small groups of friends, colleagues or family (consequence of lockdowns and quality research). THE group tours with strangers are still acceptable only if thematic, and therefore based on a shared interest, such as sports, photography, music.
In the first two months of the year tourist visas issued by Italy to Chinese citizens have reached 30% compared to 2019 levels, and from 15 March Italy joined the list of destinations authorized also for groups. The goal is to reach and exceed the levels of 2019 by 2024, the year of records for outbound Chinese tourism, when Italy was the first destination in Europa with over 3 million arrivals and 5.4 million attendance. Most travelers are willing to go, but need time to travel to Europe. 20% of respondents who have experience traveling outside the country are ready to leave for Europe in 2023. Furthermore, more than half of the total (57%) will start traveling in Europe within 2 years and 85% within 3 years .
In 2019 it was about 170 million trips by Chinese citizens outside your own country. Only close to 10% of Chinese citizens have a passport. There are still structural factors that are slowing down the recovery of outbound travel from China: the time it takes to obtain visas, the number of air connections, still insufficient to meet demand, and very high costs.
