Spain turns to China

According to the president of the Spain-China Tourism Association (ATEC), the Spanish tourism industry is now interested in Chinese tourists for its high-end market.

« These are the kind of tourists who are not only interested in the sun, the beaches and the all-inclusive culture. They enjoy culture, gastronomy, wine, history and nature, and new Chinese tourists also want to spend more money in Spain, » said Rafael Cascales in a recent interview with Xinhua.

The Spanish business leader described the targeted Chinese tourists as younger, more cosmopolitan and perhaps with more women. « They are younger, there are more women travelling and they are more cosmopolitan. They also travel alone or in pairs or in small groups. The large groups of old-fashioned visitors have certainly not disappeared, but this new form of travel is becoming more important, » he stressed.

Speaking of the consumption model of the new type of Chinese tourists, the president of the tourism association noted that « the money they spend is better distributed because they will book a flight with one airline, the hotel with another company and the restaurant with another ». In his opinion, « Chinese tourists are very important because they combine two things: they are numerous and spend more than anyone else – almost four times more than other foreign tourists ».

According to Mr. Cascales, Chinese tourists do not only travel abroad when Spain has to compete with the sun and the beaches of countries like Turkey and Egypt, but also during the off-peak periods of the year.

Spain is the second most popular tourist destination in the world, coming only after France. It attracted about 82 million visitors in 2017, including 700,000 from China, a number estimated by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to reach about 1 million by 2020.

« We are ready, we have infrastructure at all levels, especially in terms of hotel capacity. Here, visitors can find what they are looking for, including the luxury items that distinguish them, » said Mr. Cascales, who also recalled that « Spain has things that other countries do not have: an unbeatable relationship between quality and price, the mix of nature, culture and history and the ability to attract young people who want to go to football matches. »