How Chinese tourists are changing the world
135 million travellers a year, spending US$261 billion – numbers that will soon be smashed: Chinese tourists are having a huge impact on destinations everywhere, which welcome the money they pay but not always their ways
“Chinese tourists are the most powerful single source of change in the tourism industry.” Taleb Rifai, secretary general of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), stresses every word.
He raises his finger and explains: “Not only is it the biggest domestic market in the world, where 4.4 billion trips are made each year, but it’s also the leading global outbound market, with over 135 million international departures in 2016. This number has been increasing in double digits since 2010 and it’s merely the tip of the iceberg.
“The potential of the Chinese market is far greater, because only 6 per cent of Chinese people own a passport. So we expect 200 million Chinese to travel abroad in just a few years’ time.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the 22nd UNWTO General Assembly, which was held in September in Chengdu, Sichuan province, Rifai points out that, even more important than the number of Chinese tourists – those from Hong Kong and Macau are not included in these statistics – is the fact that they lead the world in terms of expenditure: US$261.1 billion last year, according to the United Nations agency.
“Chinese travellers spend double the international average, so their impact in local economies can be huge,” Rifai says.
“It may sound strange given their number,” says Eduardo Santander, executive director at the European Travel Commission, “but we believe they can help make the industry more sustainable.” The reason, he says, lies in Chinese tourists’ travel patterns and tastes.
