Three long years, in other words an eternity. This is the time it took the Chinese government to authorize its inhabitants to leave the territory and rediscover the joys of tourism. Three years during which their rights were limited to the strict minimum. But, since January 8, the inhabitants of Beijing, Shanghai, Canton, or even Shenzhen can again travel around the world. In 2019, the world’s second largest economy ranked first, ahead of the United States, in the ranking of countries sending the most tourists abroad, with 155 million travelers. That same year, 2.2 million Chinese visitors visited France, injecting a total of 3.5 billion euros into our economy.
A significant windfall that the sector has since managed to compensate for: “There were no major consequences, because, for a large part, tourism in Paris, as elsewhere in France, left with a strong increase. the number of European and North American visitors and, at the same time, an increase in turnover”, explains Frédéric Hocquard, assistant to Anne Hidalgo in charge of tourism at the Paris City Hall. In 2022, France indeed experienced a record year with 58 billion euros in tourist spending, 1.2 billion more than in 2019. All without a single Chinese visitor. Will this phenomenon continue? “The replacement clientele will no longer be running at full speed, but there will be some left. We can count on the change in behavior of Europeans, who travel less far for several reasons: geopolitics, carbon footprint…” explains Vanguelis Panayotis, president of MKG Consulting , a tourism business analysis firm.
Same observation on the side of the Côte d’Azur. “American and Canadian tourists, as well as those from the Middle East, have managed to compensate for this absence. It is a clientele with very high added value”, assures Senator (LR) Alexandra Borchio Fontimp, President of the Regional Committee du tourisme Côte d’Azur France, which does not however forget China: “It remains a very interesting clientele for us. We have a lot of staff who speak Chinese. It is a booming market, with a flourishing economy that must be kept in mind.” The Chinese market represented 3% of stays on the Côte d’Azur in 2019. A direct line between Nice and Beijing had even been opened. It is closed today.
A slow return
For now, the return of Chinese tourists is still timid. Two difficulties arise: the planes of French companies coming from Asia can no longer fly over Russia. “It is a multifaceted subject on which we are alerted, we are assured in the cabinet of Olivia Grégoire, Minister of Tourism. The same is true for the Ministry of Transport. We encourage a return of Chinese tourists, but the question, which goes beyond our position, is above all diplomatic. We are aware of the essential nature of Chinese tourism in France. Bypassing Russian airspace poses several problems: the service to Asia is complex and the cost of kerosene turns out to be high.”
In addition, the issuance of visas is done in dribs and drabs. “To travel, you need visibility, to know the conditions. The Chinese go far away, with a culture shock, they have to take their visa, it represents a lot of money… When an American can, from a weekend to the other, going to Paris, it’s much simpler”, notes Vanguelis Panayotis, of MKG Consulting.
The recovery of traffic is still gradual. Currently, 16 weekly flights are operated between China and France. “The State and Air France must do everything possible to increase their number. The risk is that tourists will turn to other destinations”, warns Hamida Rezeg, vice-president in charge of tourism in the Ile-de-France region. . A request partly heard: from June 10, around fifty flights will take place each week, a rate which remains less than half that of the summer of 2019, a few months before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Compared to other countries, we will be in a high range. There are currently 10 rotations per week between China and Canada, and 20 with the United States”, specifies one to the office of Olivia Grégoire.
In reality, Chinese tourism seems for the moment to be limited to the country’s borders, with a boost linked to the Lunar New Year. According to the China Tourism Academy, the receipts earned during the five days off around May 1st approached those of the same period in 2019. In reality, the Chinese government does not necessarily have an interest in leaving leave its citizens. “A resident who comes to change his currency abroad to buy a watch or a perfume, it’s a loss of wealth. China says to itself: if we can keep them at home, it’s not so bad” , emphasizes Vanguelis Panayotis.
A still unfavorable geopolitical and social context
In the future, if the situation is unblocked, Chinese tourists should return in number. “Our offices have always continued to try to keep in touch with the general Chinese public and with professional tour operators. This is paying off. We can see that, in terms of travel intentions, France is the number one destination in Europe” , indicates the tourism operator Atout France. But the work is still far from complete. “There are a lot of Chinese who, with the Covid, no longer have identity papers, passports, it is an obstacle to going abroad. If we want tourists to come back, we will have to go look for them”, says Patrick Vicériat, founder of Détente Consulting and president of the French-speaking Association of Tourism Experts and Scientists.
The sector fears, however, that the geopolitical context of the war in Ukraine, still present in the minds of foreign tourists, and the social climate linked to the mobilization against the pension reform will play against it. “The demonstrations are widely relayed abroad, and not in a positive way. I spoke with owners of high-end hotels, they are victims of multiple cancellations at the weekend. It is completely linked to the events of the country,” said Franck Delvau, co-president of the Paris-Ile-de-France Hotel Trades and Industries Union.
However, the tourist situation looks bright for France in the coming months with the Rugby World Cup and the Olympic Games. “In 2012, during the London Olympics, millions of visitors landed in the British capital. This then generated a lot of tourism,” recalls Hamida Rezeg, from the Ile-de-France region. The Association of the castles of the Loire, with its 100 sites, intends to capitalize on it. “For top-of-the-range accommodation providers, there will be an opportunity to work with tourists who wish to escape from Paris. At the level of the association, we are doing a lot of work on digitizing our offers, which goes in the sense of a better welcome for Chinese tourists”, says Laurence Bizard Hamilton, its president. An appointment that should not be missed for the sector. Provided that social protest does not spoil the party.