Chinese tourists have not returned to France as before the pandemic

Chinese tourists spend a lot when traveling to France before the Covid-19 epidemic

The French people still have not forgotten the images before the Covid 19 pandemic, Chinese tourists were everywhere. People could see them in Paris, Versailles, in the ancient castles of La Loire, the wine growing regions of Bourogne or Bordeaux and especially in the big stores. Every year, the number of Chinese tourists traveling to France is increasing, and their shopping power is increasing every day. According to statistics, at Roissy International Airport, Chinese tourists spend 10 times more than American tourists. But that was before the pandemic, and for many months now, we have not seen the image of Chinese tourists carrying branded items standing and taking pictures in front of the iconic buildings of France. Nor have we seen large and small convoys of cars taking them to big stores in the capital Paris to shop.

This absence may seem puzzling when people know that the Chinese have returned to travel, however, tourists from this country of 1.4 billion people are still almost absent on tourist routes to France. French tourism businesses say that the phenomenon of the absence of Chinese tourists is a serious loss because they are the world's biggest spenders. On average, each visitor spends 5,400 euros on a trip to France. Specifically, before the pandemic, in 2019 alone, more than 2.2 million Chinese tourists traveled and contributed to the French economic income of 3.5 billion euros, a record number.

Another explanation for this strange lack of people is that getting a visa is difficult, even for the French it takes weeks to get an appointment to renew their passport. In China, it takes months to get a visa from the consulate to enter France. "About 38% of Chinese people planning to travel to Europe still want to go to France. Given such a large demand, it is urgent to deploy visa services in all major cities," said the president of Atout France, the agency that promotes French tourism abroad.

Another reason why Chinese tourists are absent in France is inflation and skyrocketing prices. To travel to Europe in groups, each Chinese person, before the pandemic, spent an average of 2,000 euros, now for such a trip they have to budget 4,000 euros. With such costs, ordinary customers before the crisis now cannot afford to pack their bags and leave. At the same time, the scarcity of flights between France and China has pushed up ticket prices. According to Olivia Grégoire, French Minister of Tourism: "For many months now, we have been discussing with China about reopening flights". The result of the negotiations is that the two sides have set 50 flights per week (25 flights each). But in reality, 5 Chinese airlines have only operated 20 flights. Air France has operated 14 flights.

Now no one can confirm that Chinese tourists will return to France in 2024 or even 2025. However, the French tourism industry still hopes that Chinese tourists will return for upcoming events taking place in France, namely the Rugby World Cup starting in September and especially the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, an opportunity not to be missed for French tourism.

TRAM ANH

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