What will the French try to "save" China tourists?

China tourists have created a lot of wealth. If they don't keep it, they will lose it!

Recently, the statistics of the French tourism department show that the number of foreign tourists who entered France in 20 16 decreased by nearly 20%, and they are increasingly under the competitive pressure from other European countries. As the first tourist destination in the world, France received only 83 million tourists in 20 16, which is far from previous years. According to the report of the Tourism Commission of the Paris Region, compared with 20 15 years, the number of tourists received by the Paris Region decreased by1500,000 last year, and the related income decreased by several billion euros, among which the biggest decline was China tourists. In 20 15, the number of China tourists to France reached 2.2 million, but this number decreased by 400,000 in 20 16.

French tourism officials said that China has a large number of potential tourists, so how to rebuild its attraction to China tourists in the future has become a priority for the development of French tourism. First of all, from a global perspective, the purchasing power of China tourists is getting stronger and stronger. In the consumption statistics of Galeries Lafayette, the most popular department store for foreign tourists, China tourists account for the largest proportion of foreign tourists visiting the store, with an average consumption of 1400 euros. Sevin Bona, CEO of Accor Hotels Group and Chairman of French Tourism 46.2 Alliance, said that the global tourism industry is booming at present, and the annual growth rate is expected to reach 5% in the future, among which China's tourism market and potential tourism resources are the most dynamic. Secondly, due to security, public order and other factors, China tourists have been "robbed" by more European countries with stable tourism environment in recent years, which is also one of the important reasons for the decline of French tourism last year. France is increasingly facing competitive pressure from other European countries.

In a report released a few days ago, the French Tourism 46.2 Alliance pointed out that at present, Germany has surpassed France to become the first destination for China tourists to travel to Europe, and London has greatly increased flights to and from China since this year, which makes France increasingly lose the market share of China tourists' travel resources to Europe. Therefore, how to seize the opportunity and maintain the advantage in China, the "most dynamic" tourism market, has become a priority for the French tourism sector.

In this context, France will strive to provide a safer and more stable tourist environment for China tourists. Le figaro pointed out that France has unparalleled advantages in tourism resources, and China tourists like tourism projects related to culture, art, food and shopping, which makes France more attractive. However, due to terrorist attacks and public security problems, France lost a large number of tourists from China. French authorities should take measures as soon as possible to dispel the concerns of China tourists, enhance the tourist experience of China tourists and speed up the process of China tourists returning to France. At present, the primary problem to achieve this goal is how to rebuild a "safe and stable tourism environment".

Franois Zhou, honorary president of China Travel Agency Association, said that the French government urgently needs to show its determination to crack down on social crimes to French tourists and provide security for tourists visiting China. Mathiles Fekol, French Tourism Minister, said that the French government will introduce new measures to ensure the safety of tourists, such as strengthening the deployment of police forces near scenic spots and enhancing the security of public places.

French tourism officials told reporters that in the future, France will cooperate with other departments to provide tourists with a more convenient travel experience, "save" the lost tourists from China, and especially enhance the attractiveness of "potential tourists" in second-and third-tier cities in China. Bona believes that if we want to win the favor of China tourists again, we need to work hard on hardware.

First of all, although China tourists got a 48-hour visa in 20 14, which made it easier for them to go to France, the new visa system of biometric system adopted by the European Union in 20 15 required tourists to enter their biometric fingerprints in the consular center, which made the procedures for going to France complicated. In the future, the French Consular Center should speed up the trial procedures, extend the opening hours and shorten the processing cycle for tourists, especially those from China. At the same time, more attractive visa fee concessions should be introduced.

Secondly, provide a more convenient shopping environment. The alliance suggested that the incentive measures for tourists to pay back money after shopping should be improved to promote tourists' desire to buy. In addition, for the convenience of China tourists, Galeries Lafayette will provide payment methods using mobile phone WeChat to China tourists from this summer.

Finally, pay more attention to the detail experience. Bona pointed out that at present, China tourists, especially young tourists, are more active in the field of Internet and social networks. In view of this feature, France urgently needs to set up public networks in airports, shops, parks and other public places to "catch" tourists from the details.