After three years of COVID-19, Chinese tourists are starting to travel again, and they have very high expectations. Madrid and Barcelona top the list of Europe's most visited cities. In a telephone interview with Spanish newspaper La Confidential, Jennifer Zhang, CEO of Spanish Asian Alliance, analyzed the characteristics of Chinese tourists and the impact they will have on Spanish tourism.

"In China, normal life is returning little by little. The long waiting list for visas bodes well and we hope everything will be sorted out from April or May onwards." "Jennifer Chang said. It is too early to tell what will happen to the number of Chinese tourists arriving in Spain in 2023. To be sure, Spain is attracting a lot of attention from Chinese tourists.

In terms of queries about tourism services and products, there is an important message: Madrid ranks fifth among the European destinations that Chinese are most interested in, after London, Paris, Frankfurt and Milan. Barcelona were sixth and Roma seventh.

"Chinese tourists spend less time in their destinations, but spend seven times more per capita than European tourists. The outlook is very positive. "We will gradually return to the performance level of 2019 this year and strive to receive more than 1 million Chinese tourists by 2024." "Jennifer Chang said. Chinese tourists currently rank first in spending per capita in Spain at around 2,800 euros (7.39 yuan). They like to buy luxury goods very much.

There is more to Chinese tourists. They like to travel in the off-season, and there are two main times to travel abroad: October and the Spring Festival (usually in January or February). "Chinese tourists are not looking for sun and sand," Zhang said. They like the culture, the heritage and the local food. They're big fans of Michelin-starred restaurants."

Chinese tourists to Spain have a lot of purchasing power, and they mainly come from China's major cities. In terms of age, the post-80s and post-90s are the majority. Most of these post-1980s tourists are well-educated, and some of them own their own companies. They account for about 40 percent of Chinese tourists to Spain. Chinese tourists born in the 1990s account for about 40 percent.

"More and more travelers are choosing to travel on their own, and the youngest travelers are already highly digital: they pay for everything through a mobile app," Zhang said.