After soaring last year, the willingness of Chinese tourists to visit Europe in the summer has returned to a more normal level this year, but still ranks first among the world's major markets. Globally, safety is a major consideration for tourists when traveling to Europe.
According to the latest Long-Haul Travel Barometer (LHTB) released by the European Travel Commission (ETC) and the European Railways Company (Eurail BV) on 2024, the overall interest of tourists in summer outbound travel in major markets around the world is higher this year than in 2019. Although Europe is still the preferred destination, due to concerns about safety and price, fewer tourists plan to visit Europe this year than in 2019.
The study analyzed the willingness of 7,000 tourists from seven major overseas markets, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, South Korea and the United States, to travel to Europe during the summer from May to August 2024. Among them, 62% of Chinese respondents said they intended to visit Europe this summer, ranking first among all countries, followed by 52% of Brazilians. This trend is largely driven by the wealthier tourist groups.
The report further analyzed that Chinese tourists' enthusiasm for traveling to Europe has begun to return to normal levels. Although the willingness of Chinese tourists to travel to Europe has remained strong since the summer of 2023, it has now somewhat returned to a more normal level. Among the respondents, 73% plan to take long-term trips between May and August 2024, and 62% consider European destinations to be 2% higher year-on-year compared to 2019 and 4% lower year-on-year compared to last year. Among the wealthy respondents in Beijing, Guangzhou, and Wuhan, 91%, 85%, and 80% are particularly interested in traveling to Europe. However, Chinese tourists are still sensitive to political shocks. Among the respondents who plan to travel abroad this summer, 21% have decided to avoid Europe due to concerns about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and 19% are worried about the potential impact of tensions in the Middle East on the safety of European tourism.
Editor Ⅰ: Zhang Wenwen
Editor Ⅱ: Wu Dan
Editor Ⅲ: Liu Guosong
