Chinese tourist dies after being buried under snow during skiing accident in Japan
A Chinese tourist tragically lost her life on Saturday (23rd) while skiing in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, after reportedly being buried under snow following a fall. Witnesses at the scene, who were fellow skiers, informed the police that they saw Fu fall but were hesitant to help her due to their limited skiing abilities.
VisitBritain expects China to contribute £1.7 billion spending in 2024
VisitBritain, Britain’s national tourism agency, has published its tourism forecast for 2024. The forecast shows an increase in inbound visits and spending overall to the UK compared to 2023 levels, although with “varying rates” of recovery and growth across its major inbound visitor markets. China was UK’s second most valuable inbound market in 2019 and is projected to take fourth place in 2024.
Paris and Milan dream of the return of Chinese tourists
Even though Chinese consumers can now travel to Europe individually or in groups, investors shouldn’t expect them to rush over to stock up on Cartier watches and Hermes handbags. The long-vaunted revival in Chinese travel to the continent may not materialize until late 2024 or 2025. In 2020, some 170 million Chinese shoppers took leisure trips abroad, with France and Italy popular destinations beyond Asia. Chinese tourist spending in Europe and flight capacity ticked up in November this year, according to tax-free shopping specialists Global Blue, but both remain well below 2019 levels.
Skytrain introduces WeChat Pay for Chinese commuters in Bangkok
Thailand's BTS Skytrain has added WeChat Pay as a convenient new payment method aimed at easing travel for commuters from China in and around Bangkok. The service is now available at ticket vending machines across all BTS Dark Red Line, Light Green Line, and Gold Line stations. The adoption of WeChat Pay aligns with Thailand’s efforts to enhance the travel experience for Chinese visitors, a key demographic in the country’s tourism sector.
Luxembourg welcomes 1st direct flight from China
A plane from China carrying 146 passengers landed in Luxembourg last Thursday evening, marking the opening of the first direct air route for passengers between China and Luxembourg.
Air Peace resumes China operations
Air Peace, one of the leading airlines in Nigeria, has stated that it’s set to resume its direct flight to Guangzhou-China and will launch Lagos – London flight soon. The Airline in a statement made available to Daily Independent by the airline’s Spokesperson, Stanley Olisa, said the flight service will return on Thursday, December 28, 2023.
China Southern Airlines expands connectivity with new flights to Kazakhstan
China Southern Airlines will launch regular passenger flights from the new Beijing Daxing International Airport to Almaty starting Jan. 25 next year, the Aviation Administration of Kazakhstan press service reported. The initiative came after the visa-free regime was established between Kazakhstan and China on Nov. 10. Flights between Almaty and Beijing will be scheduled three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
China's thriving rural tourism attracts global attention
Chinese villages once again received worldwide attention recently as four of them earned a coveted spot on the "Best Tourism Villages" list for 2023 in the latest announcement by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The four villages are Huangling village in Jiangxi province, Xiajiang village in Zhejiang province, Zhagana village in Gansu province, and Zhujiawan village in Shaanxi province.
