Chinese tourists still shun France

The Minister for Tourism Olivia Grégoire is visiting China for two days to reassure Chinese customers who, despite the reopening of borders last year, are struggling to return to France.

Owner of 17 hotels in Paris and its suburbs, Mr. Wu confirms that Chinese tourists have indeed deserted the capital. “We no longer have Chinese tourists, we have lost them. Before Covid, we had 10% of Chinese customers and now we have almost 0%.”

The rooms in these hotels cost 80 euros on average per night. Mr. Wu’s clientele, the Chinese middle class, is a clientele hit hard by the economic crisis that China is currently experiencing. “The Chinese middle class has lost a certain purchasing power and we know very well that it is middle-class people who travel to Europe. These people, today, are economically weakened,” he said.

Added to this are the difficulties in obtaining a visa or the drop in the number of flights between France and China. Air France has in fact halved its routes and flights are extended by two hours to avoid flying over Russia. Prices have therefore soared.

A feeling of insecurity

Finally, another reason: the image of France has deteriorated in recent years. “Even the French think that they are not safe at home. So the Chinese felt that and they are afraid to come,” specifies the hotel owner. An observation shared by Frank Delvau, the president of the Union of Hotel and Catering Trades Île-de-France (UMIH). According to him, the most penalizing for the economy remains the absence of the wealthiest tourists from China.

“The Chinese population that we are targeting in Paris is the high-end fringe: those who shop in the department stores on the Champs-Élysées and who go to palaces and great restaurants. They want to travel ‘safe’ like one says.”

Frank Delvau, president of the UMIH

at franceinfo

“The riots, the alerts about bedbugs which had no reason to exist, or even the evacuations from the Palace of Versailles. All of this is not good for them, it does not reassure them”adds the president of the UMIH.

A low number of Chinese tourists which does not prevent Paris and its region from having had an excellent year in 2023, according to Franck Delvau. The mark of 45 million tourists should be exceeded to get closer to the 2019 record.