Sports fans from China top the list of Asian travellers dominating the Summer Olympics in Paris. Thus, the number of such visitors saw some of the biggest increases globally in Paris during the Olympics’ coverage period.
The latest data from outsourcing company VSF Global best illustrates this growth as it reveals that Chinese citizens’ visa applications for foreign travel have reached 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, Schengen.News reports.
China Eastern Airlines has reported soaring demand for flights between China and France since 2023 and its planes are operating at a relatively high 84 per cent occupancy, while passenger trips in July 2024 are up 3.94 per cent month on month.
As one of our largest and most important source markets, China is experiencing a peak in visa applications. Following the changes in its visa policies and the resumption of flights, the latter saw a significant increase in the enthusiasm of Chinese citizens for high-level foreign tourism.
Over 10.3 million visa applications were filed in 2023, an increase of 37 per cent from 2022. Chinese nationals filed the most visa applications for the year, with 1.1 million. This year also marked a comeback as the top country of origin for the first time since 2018.
The growing number of Chinese visitors is also being fueled by increased flight capacity, such as new direct flights to France launched by major carriers such as China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines and Xiamen Airlines, and this is expected to continue until September.
Top 8 Favourite Countries for Chinese Travellers to Visit
Among Chinese vacationers, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom are the most preferred destinations to visit, while other destinations experiencing increasing interest from China include the following:
- Canada
- Japan
- South Korea
- Thailand
- United States
Based on data from the city’s tourism board, Paris, which staged the Games’ opening ceremony on the Seine, expects 11.3 million visitors during the Olympic weeks – of which only 1.5 million will be international.
Moreover, travelling to Paris from China and Japan has been even higher elsewhere this year, up 250 per cent compared to 2023 figures. At the same time, the average length of stay for travellers from Asia to Paris increased by 20 per cent in July and August compared to the same period last year, with Chinese, South Korean, and Hong Kong tourists staying longer.