Bookings for overseas travel during Chinese New Year, soared by 540 pc compared with the same period in 2022
China’s outbound travel is estimated to almost double this year, compared with 2023, says research by global econometric analysis firm Oxford Economics. It will only be 22 pc below its peak pre-pandemic numbers of 155 million tourists in 2019, who spent over USD 250 billion overseas. While full recovery is predicted in 2025, Middle East is expected to be the first region in the world to recover its Chinese inbound market.
In a press statement, the organisers of ATM 2024, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 6-9, say the show is set to welcome twice the number of Chinese exhibitors and travel professionals, compared with its 2019 show.
Ever since China lifted its covid-related travel restrictions in February last year, bookings for overseas travel during Chinese New Year, soared by 540 pc compared with the same period in 2022, according to data from the Chinese travel site Trip.com.
Danielle Curtis
“Last year, some analysts were predicting that the Chinese outbound market would recover to around six million per month by the summer of 2023, driven in part by the pent-up demand especially from young, affluent Chinese. However, that rebound wasn’t as great as many tourism professionals had hoped for and now analysts are confident that this year, we could see Chinese visitor numbers double year-on-year, with major destinations in the Middle East recovering quicker than any other internationally, especially for luxury travel,” says Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market.
“That sentiment has also been borne out by the latest spending data for the 2024 Chinese New Year. According to Chinese payment platform Alipay, the number of Chinese overseas transactions were 7 pc higher than those recorded in 2019. The most popular Middle East destinations include Dubai, Saudi’s AlUla, Egypt and Jordan, Dubai alone welcomed more than one million Chinese visitors in 2019,” adds Curtis.
The statement adds that Chinese participation at ATM 2024 is expected to more than double compared with ATM 2019, with new exhibitors that include private sector companies such as Heytrip International, Jiangsu Intelligence Equipment, Flightroutes24 Travel Company, Feeyo Technology and anticipated destination representation from Macau Government Tourism Office, China Cultural Centre in the UAE and the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
ATM organisers say they will also organise a dedicated conference session on this key market in its Global Stage, entitled Capitalising on China’s Predicted Tourism Surge, in association with Chinese electronics giant Huawei. This session, which takes place on Monday May 6, will explore the changing trends, cultural preferences and the role of mobile marketing and tourism predictions in the Chinese tourism market.
The statement adds that in line with this year’s show theme Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship, other highlights at the 31st edition of ATM include entrepreneurship-focused sessions as well as dedicated sessions for other key source markets such as India and the Americas.
