Bad news for the tourism sector. With more than 2 million visitors per year, the Chinese represent a significant clientele for France and are above all the biggest spenders, a windfall that could suffer from the effects of the coronavirus in the event of a slowdown in tourist flows from China.
-
How many Chinese tourists in France?
The number of Chinese hosted in France has jumped over the past ten years, from 715,000 in 2009 to some 2.2 million in 2018 according to Atout France, the national agency that promotes hexagonal tourism abroad. However, this attendance has stabilized since the attacks of 2015, where 2.2 million visitors were recorded, before 2 million in 2016 then 2.1 million in 2017.
Paris and Ile-de-France remain the European destination most visited by the Chinese. From January to November 2019, however, attendance decreased by 8% over one year, with 892,000 hotel arrivals recorded, according to the French Institute of Statistics (Insee). Some 25% of Chinese visitors travel in groups, and 75% are individuals or small groups. They stay on average 5.2 nights.
-
Are Chinese visitors spendthrift?
“If the Chinese represent 2.5% of total tourist attendance, they are even heavier + economically: with 4 billion euros of spending, they total 7% of tourism revenue”, said AFP Jean-Pierre Mas, president of Entreprises du Voyage, the organization that represents the travel sector in France.
In Paris and its region alone, Chinese visitors spent € 265 million in 2018 on “durable” goods, which are not consumed locally, such as a handbag, clothing, perfume or simple memory, according to data from the Chamber of Commerce and the Region. This makes them the biggest spenders, ahead of the Americans (246 million euros), the Spanish (85 million) and the Japanese (78 million). Their average budget (excluding transport) is 1,024 euros per stay, according to the Regional Tourism Committee (CRT), shopping being the second item of expenditure after accommodation.
The Chinese New Year festivities, from January 25 to February 8, but also the following two weeks, are crucial for traders: in 2018 and 2019, tax-free sales of Chinese tourists over the period represented around 10% of their total annual expenses, recalls the tax refund operator Planet. In 2019, Chinese tourism represented 32% of the value of tax-free sales in France, details Planet.
-
What impact on French tourism?
“We are in low season for now, but if the situation persists – and there is very high probability that it will be long – the economic impact will be significant, especially for the hotel and luxury sector”, estimates Jean-Pierre Mas. During the Chinese New Year 2019, “the number of tax refunds for Chinese tourists in France had decreased by 5% compared to 2018, in particular because of the movement of yellow vests”, according to the company Planet. On this basis and in “the worst-case scenario for 2020, the losses could be estimated at 10% of zero-rated purchases in France, or 22 million euros”.
“Inevitably this will create a lack of arrivals of Chinese tourists”, even if “February is not a huge month”, adds Christophe Decloux, director general of the CRT. He recalled that in 2003, during the SARS epidemic in Asia, “we had a drop in arrivals – for all Asian markets and not only the Chinese market – of 1.7 million tourists, which which represented a loss of around 200 million euros in turnover. “
-
And what impact for French tourism in China?
French tour operators alone sent around 15,600 customers to China in 2018 in the “package travel” category (flight + hotel), their core business. On Sunday, their union (Seto) recommended the suspension of organized trips to this country “until February 21 inclusive” due to the coronavirus epidemic, due to the closure of most tourist sites.
“Between tour operators and French travel agencies, this represents less than a thousand French tourists concerned,” says Jean-Pierre Mas, adding that “it’s the very low season, and it’s also a destination that was less successful due to difficulties in obtaining visas. ” Since last summer, French people wishing to go to China have to provide fingerprints in order to obtain a visa, and can only do so in four authorized centers throughout France.
–
