Europe aims to attract more Chinese tourists

Main European destinations are set to tap into the growing Chinese outbound tourism industry. Following the example of Israel, which has recently introduced the 10-year multiple-entry visa for Chinese citizens, Europe set a goal of increasing the number of Chinese visitors to the continent.

As this year the Israeli government made a significant change regarding the visa policy for tourists from China and introduced a 10-year multiple-entry visa and canceled the visiting fees for the target group, Ben Julius, founder of Tourist Israel, commented on the decision:

"This not only allows tourists to visit for longer and multiple times, but also allows them to go on extensions to Jordan and Egypt, and return to Israel without problems. Many sites in Israel have begun to make signs and offer information in Chinese, while hotels are beginning to offer food to suit Chinese guests and rooms with small modifications to accommodate the market.”

In addition, Hainan Airlines has launched new flights from Beijing to Tel Aviv and Cathay Pacific will begin operating Hong Kong to Tel Aviv routes starting 2017.

Similarly, the city of Innsbruck in Austria has launched a campaign targeting Chinese visitors, by inviting key personalities into the city in order to boost the number of foreign visits.onal

As declared by Peter Unsinn, the marketing manager of Innsbruck’s tourism board, the Chinese visitors “were posting their experiences on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and WeChat, and recording videos about the city in their own ways, which are now used for marketing within China.”

“ Through this campaign, we have received more than 50 million views about our city, its history and the activities we offer,” Unsinn added.

In the opinion of James Kennell from the Greenwich University, Europe should focus on researching the expanding Chinese tourism market and on closing specific partnerships with main players in the field. "The destinations that are better able to meet the needs of a sophisticated and increasingly diverse Chinese market will benefit from access to the huge and growing market," he explained.