More and more countries are restricting travel to and from China. Fears were heightened on February 15 when Europe recorded its first Covid-19 death (in France), an 80-year-old Chinese tourist. In some places, Covid-19 has also created a fear effect for tourists from other countries.
Beijing officially announced a lockdown order from February 12
Just a month after Beijing banned group tours abroad on January 27, Europe is reeling from the lack of Chinese tourists. According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), in 2000, three years before SARS spread across Asia, Chinese tourists spent $10 billion abroad. By 2018, that figure had risen to $277 billion.
France
Tour operators from China have canceled 3,000 rooms at 40 hotels in February.
Corinne Menegaux, director of the Paris Convention and Tourism Bureau, said Chinese tourists often travel in groups and choose certain hotels and shops, so some businesses have suffered serious losses. At some duty-free shops and other businesses, where Chinese tourists account for 80%, sales have plummeted.
In Dijon, the second most popular French city for Chinese tourists after Paris, Chinese tour operators canceled 3,000 rooms at 40 hotels in February.
Spain
Mobile World Congress - the world's largest Mobile Communications Trade Fair scheduled to start in Barcelona, Spain on February 24, has been canceled after participants withdrew due to concerns about the risk of virus infection.
The world's largest mobile communications trade show has been canceled.
Spanish authorities and the fair organizers insist that Barcelona has taken all the necessary precautions against the pandemic, but the list of cancellations grows every day, including giants such as Amazon, Intel and Facebook. To date, this is the most important business event outside Asia to be canceled because of Covid-19. According to Ada Colau, Mayor of Barcelona, the conference was expected to attract more than 100,000 visitors to the city, with estimated revenues of 500 million euros (more than 541 million USD). The fair was predicted to create 14,000 temporary jobs and allow hotels to reach maximum capacity during the low season.
Older brother
According to the UK’s national tourism agency, Visit Britain, Chinese visitors stay an average of 16 nights per visit. In Oxfordshire, Chinese tourists disappeared almost overnight from a top luxury brand store in the village of Bicester.
London's Chinatowns are deserted
Virtue
After France, Germany is the second most affected country by the absence of Chinese tourists, as it is the second most popular destination for these tourists. Compared to other regions of Germany, the southern state of Bavaria is the most affected by the epidemic, as up to now, all 11 coronavirus patients in Germany are workers in the state of Bavaria.
In Germany, where Chinese tourists make up about 3% of visitors, popular destinations like Munich and Heidelberg have seen tour group cancellations and a drop in visitors. In Füssen, near the fairytale castle of Neuschwanstein, all rooms booked by Chinese tourists at the Park Hotel International were canceled in the first half of April.
Brand name shops lack Chinese customers
Shirt
In Austria, the ancient village of Hallstatt, so beloved by the Chinese that a replica was built in Guangdong, is deserted. "The Chinese are a valuable market for us. They spend a lot on shopping and stay in high-end hotels. We hope this situation will not last long," said Gregor Gritzky, head of the local tourism office.
