Chinese tourists shun western Europe in wake of violence as travel to France drops 15 per cent
French embassy in Beijing issues fewer visas, with mainland travellers looking to other places for a holiday
A string of violent attacks in western Europe has dampened interest in the region among Chinese tourists, a fast-growing segment of the travel industry.
The number of mainland tourists travelling to Europe was up 32 per cent to 4.78 million in 2015, with growth strongest among those heading to Germany and France. But that was before the terrorist attacks in Paris on November 13, when at least 130 people were killed and many more wounded.
Since then, Chinese interest in France, in particular, has been on the wane. France issued just 320,000 visas in China in the first six months of this year, a drop of 15 per cent from the same time in 2015, according to the French embassy in Beijing.
Even more mainland tourists will be deterred from once must-see destinations by the killings in Nice on July 14, the Munich shooting last week and the knife attack in Normandy this week, analysts and travel agents say.
Chinese police join Italian officers to patrol tourist hotspots in Rome and Milan
Leading mainland travel agency Ctrip.com said more travellers were shifting their sights to other parts of the continent. “Since the terrorist attack [in Paris] last year, many tourists have looked to Eastern European [destinations] such as Hungary and the Czech Republic or Northern European countries such as Finland and Sweden,” the company said.
Since the terrorist attack [in Paris] last year, many tourists have looked to Eastern European routes such as Hungary and the Czech Republic
Partly as a result, tour packages to France were now 1,000 yuan (HK$1,160) to 2,000 yuan cheaper, Ctrip said.