Chinese Airlines Bring Travel Figures From Europe to Experience China

China Minutes

Chinese Airlines Bring Travel Figures From Europe to Experience China

Travel agents from Europe head to China on an organised trip to experience Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regions unique culture and travel opportunities.

In order to promote the recovery and growth of the European tourism market to China, the China Tourism Office in London, the departments of culture and tourism of Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and several airlines including Aiir China, Juneyao Airlines, and Hainan Airlines organised a delegation of 32 travel agents from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Finland and Norway to visit Guizhou Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from May 13th to 23rd.

The Chinese government has introduced a series of policies to promote inbound tourism, such as the 240–hour transit visa–free, regional visa–free entry, and “buy and refund“ tax refund for departure. Thanks to these efforts the popularity of “travel in China“ and “shopping in China“ continues to rise. “China Travel”has opened the door for many foreign tourists to learn about China.The China Tourism Academy predicts that the inbound tourism market will surpass pre–pandemic levels in 2025, and China is welcoming global tourists with a more open attitude

On May 13, 24 travel agents from the United Kingdom and Ireland departed from London Heathrow Airport on an Air China flight, while delegations from Norway and Finland departed from Oslo and Helsinki on Hainan Airlines and Juneyao Airlines respectively. They headed to Guizhou, the first stop, to enjoy the beautiful scenery and ethnic minority customs of the region.

Speaking at the departure ceremony of London Heathrow Airport, Zhang Li, Director of the China Tourism Office in London, said that this is the largest cross-border event organised by the London Tourism Office in the past few years. It involves the largest number of countries and travel agents, covering the main inbound tour groups from the four countries. According to Ctrip data,although the UK has not yet been included in the list of countries with unilateral visa-free exemptions,the number of tourists to China has maintained agood growth trend,ranking eighth among China’s inbound tourism source countries in 2024. This fully reflects the high recognition of China’stourism resources and cultural charm by British tourists.It is hoped that the travel industry insiders from the four European countries participating in this group activity can pass on what they have seen and heard in Guizhou and Guangxi to more European colleagues and people. Hopefully, choosing Chinese tourism will become a real trend among European people.

Xia Baohui, general manager of Air China‘s London sales department, said that China‘s airlines will serve the national strategy and practice social responsibility as the core mission of enterprise development. He added they will go all out to devote themselves to the rapid recovery and development of China‘s inbound tourism, and build an “air bridge“ to China for global passengers. In the case of Air China and Shenzhen Airlines,there are 36 direct flights per week between China and the UK in the summer and autumn season,and the number will increase to 39 in the upcoming summer,exceeding the pre-pandemic level and accounting for 37% of the total capacity of direct flights between China and the UK.These figures also show the strong need for interaction between Chinese and British people.In the future, Air China, Shenzhen Airlines and other Chinese airlines will continue to support and facilitate cultural and tourism exchanges between China and the UK.

Jodie Marie Dewberry, who runs a well–known travel blog and has traveled six continents as a “responsible traveler“, is visiting China for the first time on this trip. With the itinerary in hand, Jodie said that she was blown away by the vastness of China and couldn’t wait to see the natural landscapes. As a vegetarian, Jodie is very concerned about sustainable tourism and cultural experiences, “Before traveling, I was worried about whether I would miss out on a lot of food because of being a vegetarian, but after searching, I was very interested in Guizhou’s “silk dolls” and “roasted potatoes”! You can choose your own ingredients, full of vegetables. I really can’t wait. ”

Mr. Tanvir Akhtar, an account manager at Par Excellence in the UK, was a member of a tour to Xinjiang, China, last year, and was full of praise for the country‘s socio–economic development achievements and the happiness of its people. He was very pleased to have the opportunity to visit Guizhou and Guangxi in southwest China, to experience the unique cultural charm of China’s ethnic minorities and learn about the achievements of local modernization in the fields of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

China expert Nico Armstrong and her husband moved to China in 2017 and started out as English teachers, gradually sharing their life and travels in China on social media, shooting and posting more than 300 videos. Originally, they were only going to experience China for a year, but the couple stayed for five years. They have experienced China from Hangzhou to Chengdu, from Zhangjiajie to Xi’an, and from Harbin to Xiamen. “We have experienced snow, deserts, islands and terraced rice fields, and we have gradually fallen in love with the diversity and vastness of this country. ” They added, “As foreigners, we were pleasantly surprised to find that China’s customs policies have become more and more friendly in the past two years, Alipay and WeChat Pay have also begun to support international card binding, and many places can also pay directly with Visa or Mastercard. Whether it is entry procedures or daily consumption, it is much simpler for foreign tourists; We recommend all our friends and family to visit China.”

Every time you start a journey it is an opportunity to connect with each other and the world. During this trip, the delegation will go deep into Guizhou and Guangxi to experience the rich cultural and tourism resources of the local area. Their destinations include Huangguoshu Scenic Area, Libo Xiaoqikong Scenic Area, Bama and other well-known scenic spots. Enjoying the “5.19 China Tourism Day” celebration in Libo, Guizhou Province will also bring them a different kind of Chinese tourism experience.