Spain sets target of one million Chinese tourists by 2020
The Spanish government unveiled plans to encourage Chinese tourists to holiday in Spain earlier this month. Last year around 100,000 Chinese tourists visited the country. Speaking at the China-Spain business forum in Barcelona, tourism minister, Miguel Sebastian, said he believes this figure will reach 300,000 in 2012, with the potential to rise to one million by 2020.
The government aims to encourage Chinese tourists with a series of practical measures; easing visa requirements for Chinese nationals, encouraging more direct flights between China and Spain and opening more China based tourist offices. There are also plans to publish guides on Spain in mandarin and hotels and restaurants will be encouraged to cater to Chinese tastes.
According to figures from the UN World Tourism Organisation, Spain slipped from third to fourth place among the world's most visited countries in 2010, behind France, the United States and China. Although, in absolute terms, the number of tourists rose slightly between 2009 and 2010 as tourists continued to flock to well-known holiday destinations such as Mallorca, Alicante and Barcelona.
The UNWTO estimates that the total number of Chinese tourists visiting foreign destinations will number 100 million by 2020, up from 31 million in 2005. With Spain's fragile economy heavily dependent on tourism it makes sense for Spain to target this growing source of potential visitors.
