The European Travel Commission's monitoring of Chinese air traveler trends has revealed a 9.5% growth in Chinese tourism in Europe in the first four months of 2018, with Turkey, Ukraine and Hungary showing the greatest growth.
ETC monitors Chinese air traveler trends and evaluates the destination performance of 34 countries in Europe. The findings are based on air reservation data from Forward Keys. The first report's findings show Chinese tourism to Europe is increasing, the Global Traveler reported.
In the first four months of 2018, Chinese arrivals in Europe rose 9.5% on the year, with bookings May–August up 7.9%. Europe is gaining market share worldwide, as Chinese tourism numbers worldwide are up 6.9% and 6.2%, respectively.
The leading destinations include Germany and France. By growth, Turkey, Ukraine and Hungary are ahead. Current bookings for July and August show Europe overall ahead 13.3%. Bookings in Central and Eastern Europe are currently 32.5% higher than last year.
Chinese bookings for Russia during the ongoing FIFA World Cup were well ahead of last year with a 173% spike for travel last week, the week of June 14, coinciding with Dragon Boat Weekend, a traditional holiday originating in China.
"We firmly believe that monitoring Chinese air travel trends will help the European tourism industry better understand Chinese visitors and enable it to offer them the best experiences," said Eduardo Santander, executive director, European Travel Commission. "Doing so will reinforce ETC's and the European Commission's efforts to secure Europe's position as the number one tourism destination worldwide."
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