Chinese Tourists in Russia: COTRI Director Professor Wolfgang Georg Arlt Quoted in Spiegel Online

COTRI Director Prof. Dr. Wolfang Georg Arlt has been quoted in a German-language Der Spiegel article “Luxusshopping im Bruderstaat” (Luxury Shopping in the Brother State), commenting on the phenomenon of Chinese travel groups in Russia.

The article picks up on the rapid growth of Chinese outbound tourists to the country in recent years, a trend driven not only by readily available group tourist visas for Chinese nationals, but also by the relative affordability of luxury shopping following the depreciation of the Ruble.

Beyond these factors, Prof. Arlt discusses the types of Chinese tourist that would travel to Russia and their motivations for doing so. He cites the importance of history for Chinese travellers to Russia, with many Chinese knowing the Soviet Union from the 1950s and having the impression that they will meet likeminded people in the country.

In addition to improved shopping opportunities and a perceived cultural affinity, Prof. Arlt also highlighted the impression among Chinese outbound tourists that Russia is a safe country for international travel.

With Western Europe having been increasingly linked with stories of terrorist attacks, street theft and the effects of the refugee crisis in Chinese media, Russia is seen as a destination with a strong reputation for security. Chinese tourists notably “fear chaos”, Prof. Arlt states.

Countries such as Italy, Greece and France lost more than ten percent of Chinese tourists in 2016, while, in the first half of 2017, Chinese arrival numbers to Russia have tripled – a positive trend that Prof. Arlt expects to continue.

COTRI China Outbound Tourism Research Institute is the world’s leading independent research institute for information, training, quality assessment, research, and consultancy relating to the Chinese outbound tourism market. More information can be found on www.china-outbound.com.

For up-to-date articles, news features and exclusive content about the Chinese outbound market, subscribe to COTRI Weekly at www.paper.li/COTRIWeekly.

Source: Spiegel Online

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