Proposed changes to Schengen Visa policy could prove to be a boon for Chinese travellers to Europe

Posted by Newsdesk
On 28th March 2018
china, Chinese tourists, Chinese travellers, ECTY, EU-China Tourism year, europe, European Commission, European Union, Schengen visa

Speaking in Brussels on March 14, European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Dimitris Avramopoulos outlined the Commission’s new proposals surrounding visa policy in the Schengen Area. While the recommended changes to the Visa Code – which include measures to quicken the repatriation of unauthorised migrants and limit visas for countries refusing their return – […]

COTRI Director Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt Cover Story For China Contact Magazine: “Europe’s ‘Peripheries’ Are Becoming More Interesting”

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 24th February 2017
2018 EU-China Tourism Year, CEEC, europe, WBT

COTRI Director Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt’s article “Europas ‘Ränder’ werden immer interessanter” (“Europe’s ‘peripheries’ are becoming more interesting”), has been published as the cover piece for the February 2017 edition of China Contact magazine, the “leading German-language business magazine on China”. In his article, Prof. Arlt explains that, while Chinese outbound travellers are continuing […]

Europe Is The Official Partner Destination for ITB China 2017

Posted by Newsdesk
On 1st February 2017
europe, European Travel Commission, ITB China, World Bridge Tourism Project

Europe is the Official Partner Destination of ITB China 2017. A corresponding agreement was signed on 31 January 2017 by Mr. David Axiotis, General Manager ITB China and Mr. Eduardo Santander, Executive Director of the European Travel Commission. ITB, the three-day business to business travel trade fair, focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel industry and […]

COTRI’s Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Arlt Discusses the Swelling Number of Chinese Tourists in Italy with China Daily

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 13th September 2016
Arrival Trends, China Daily, europe, Italy

COTRI Director Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Arlt was interviewed in a recent China Daily article regarding the current status of Italy as a destination for Chinese outbound tourists. The English-language article, titled “Fashion and culture draw Chinese tourists to Italy”, discusses the attraction of Italy’s combination of history, culture, art, romance, fashion and luxury shopping for […]

Alipay to be Introduced in Europe by the End of 2016

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 2nd September 2016
Alibaba, alipay, europe, shopping

Alibaba’s partnership with the global leader in seamless payments, Ingenico Group, will see China’s biggest mobile payment service Alipay wallet being available to Chinese users travelling in Europe before the end of 2016. As part of the deal, Chinese Alipay customers will be able to use the mobile payment service in European locations already offering […]

New Forbes Blog Posted by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt: “Chinese Tourists Choose New Zealand Over Europe Amidst Terror Concerns”

Posted by Christopher Ledsham
On 12th August 2016
Arrival Numbers, australia, europe, new zealand, terrorism

COTRI Director Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt has published a new article on his Forbes blog entitled: “Chinese Tourists Choose New Zealand Over Europe Amidst Terror Concerns”. Following a difficult year in Europe, which has seen a number of high profile terror attacks in places such as Paris and Brussels, destinations across the continent are […]

Europe is set for a Significant Rise in Chinese Tourists – Number of Arrivals from China will continue to grow in 2016

Posted by Newsdesk
On 13th April 2016
arrivals, chinese outbound, czech republic, europe, paris, Statistics, tourism

Over the past few years, Europe has represented a major draw for the rapidly growing number of Chinese outbound tourists. The largest visitor source market for many of the continent’s countries, Europe saw 12.5 million tourists arriving from China in 2015, according to the official statistics. The European Travel Commission (ETC) is forecasting a 7.4% […]

Chinese customers now account for 31 % of global luxury shopping

Posted by Daniel Meesak
On 16th November 2015
china, europe, growth, hong kong, luxury, macau, shopping, spending, tax free, trend

According to Bain & Company’s 2015 Worldwide Luxury Report, Chinese customers represent the largest group of customers for luxury products, holding a 31 % share of luxury shopping globally, followed by the United States (24 %), and Europeans (18 %). Despite that, Bain & Company reports that Asia performed historically poorly in the luxury market, […]