2018 China-EU Tourism Year to highlight lesser-known destinations

Hans Dietmar Schweisgut(C), the EU Ambassador to China, Bojan Pavlek(L), First Secretary of Trade Section with the EU Delegation to China, and Marcin Grabiec(R), Counsellor of Political Section with the EU Delegation to China, introduce the 2018 China-EU Tourism Year in Beijing on Jan.24, 2018. [Photo: China Plus]

The 2018 China-EU Tourism Year is now officially underway. The European Union's Ambassador to China says the initiative aims to bridge cultural understandings by promoting lesser-known travel destinations on both sides.

The latest official data show that nearly 3.5 million Chinese nationals visited European Union member states in 2016, injecting 11.5 billion US dollars to the local economy. Meanwhile, more than 3.1 million EU citizens came to China that year, spending about 14 billion dollars here.

Now the tourism year initiative aims to further promote that positive momentum - not only in terms of increasing the number of visits, but also by developing sustainable tourism, bilateral investment opportunities, and facilitating visa negotiations and air connectivity. 

The EU Ambassador to China, Hans Dietmar Schweisgut, says a major highlight of the initiative is to promote destinations that are considered "hidden gems" to visitors from both sides.

"The idea of this year of tourism between China and Europe is not just to put the limelight on places which are really well known. In fact, one of the aims is really to draw attention of tourists to sometimes lesser-known destinations," says Schweisgut.

The Ambassador says that will be done with the development of more specific tourism packages focused on secondary destinations on both sides, as well as cultural events to promote those places. Both China and the EU have agreed to highlight each other's culture during this year. In early March, a number of major European landmarks will be illuminated by lights of red, the color of the Chinese national flag, to mark the Chinese Lantern Festival, the last day of the Lunar New Year celebrations in China. Similarly, in early May, a number of famous Chinese sites will shine in blue of the EU flag, to make the "EU Day."

The EU Ambassador says another major component of the Tourism Year is also to facilitate business opportunities on both sides.

"But it obviously brings in business associations, the European Tourism Commission, and private actors and stakeholders to organize a multitude of events of business-business meetings, because obviously there is also a strong economic side to it. Tourism is an important economic factor in many European countries, but obviously also increasingly so in China," says the Ambassador. 

Programs for the Tourism Year include the first China-EU Tourism Business Summit, which has led to around 200 new partnership deals.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Schweisgut points out that it is important to tailor to the changing needs of Chinese visitors, who are increasingly seeking more personal experiences while traveling abroad. You Yang, a Beijing-based media professional, is planning a European vacation later this year.

"My husband and I are planning our honeymoon this April. We have ten days in Europe. We will arrive in the Netherlands, and drive to Belgium, then to Paris, and Switzerland before ending it in Italy. I am very much looking forward to visiting the French town of Chamonix Mont Blanc. It's a famous ski resort with fairytale like sceneries in the Alps," explains You. 

The China-EU Tourism Year was first announced in 2016 by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. An official launch ceremony was held on January 19, 2018 in the Italian city of Venice, also the birthplace of Marco Polo, the ancient Venetian merchant and explorer famous for his travels to China.