French Tourism Minister Olivia Grégoire is visiting China in an effort to convince reluctant Chinese visitors to return to the world's most popular tourist destination.
Chinese tourism to France dropped during the Covid pandemic. Since China reopened its borders a year ago, tourists have shunned France for a variety of reasons, including a lack of air links, rising ticket prices, visa problems and security fears.
Grégoire's two-day visit to China on Thursday and Friday is part of the French government's attempt to see them come back.
France welcomed some two million Chinese tourists in 2019. They represented about 3 percent of tourist flow into the country, but 7 percent of tourist spending – adding 3.5 billion euros to the economy.
While figures for 2023 are not yet available, the French tourism ministry believes the billion euro revenue threshold has been "well exceeded" by Chinese visitors.
🇨🇳Premier jour en Chine pour évoquer la nécessité d’entretenir et de développer les liens entrepreneuriaux entre nos deux pays.
— Olivia Gregoire (@oliviagregoire) January 4, 2024
Cette coopération avec des artisans français dans les domaines de la mode et des métiers d’art est un bel exemple de ce que nous souhaitons promouvoir. pic.twitter.com/FsdL8Qi0fm
Red tape
Grégoire's visit inaugurates the Franco-Chinese year of cultural tourism to help mark the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between China and France.
It comes as France prepares to host the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's state visit to China last March, four major players in the tourism sector – Groupe ADP (Aéroports de Paris), Club Med, Galeries Lafayette and Accor – wrote a letter suggesting measures to "reinforce France's image of hospitality", which they said had been "recently dented".
One of the issues was problems that Chinese tourists had with obtaining visas.
Grégoire's office said the "very delicate subject" of visas was being addressed, including reducing costs and reopening visa application centres across China.
Fewer flights
Another stumbling block has been air links between the two countries. Since the summer of 2023, Air France has operated 14 weekly rotations to mainland China, compared with 32 before the pandemic.
A bilateral Franco-Chinese agreement that was suspended since the pandemic provided for up to 128 weekly rotations.
Air France is opposed to reinstating the agreement as long as it is banned from Russian airspace, as this would add more than two hours to its flight time.
It fears this would distort competition with Chinese airlines.
Security concerns
Riots this summer riots across France, sparked by the police shooting of a young man at a traffic stop were highly publicised in China.
Chinese are particularly sensitive to safety issues, according to Didier Arino, head of the Protourisme consultancy, who told the AFP news agency that "a number of [Chinese tourists] have decided to come to Europe without coming to France".
While acknowledging the riots, and acts of terrorism, the tourism ministry says the aim of Grégoire's visit is also to reassure – particularly in view of the Olympic Games".
More groups, less 'niche' clientele
"We mustn't forget that there is also an economic crisis in China," Arino said, adding that existing Chinese visitors are individuals who have the means and connections to obtain visas.
France must target its offer to more specific clientele, which the tourism ministry recognises.
"France is working on its tourism offering, and we realise that the younger generations of Chinese are turning towards sustainable tourism and are looking for more authenticity," it said.
Destinations other than Paris – such as the Côte d'Azur or Strasbourg at Christmas – are being showcased as alternative must-see destinations.
