China’s outbound tourism numbers to double in 2024, only 22 percent below record pre-pandemic levels of 155 million tourists
Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, set to take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from May 6 to 9, is likely to welcome twice the number of Chinese exhibitors and travel professionals compared with its 2019 edition.
According to research by Oxford Economics, outbound travel from China is estimated to almost double this year compared with 2023, and will only be 22 percent below its peak pre-pandemic numbers of 155 million tourists in 2019, who spent over $250 billion overseas.
Full recovery is expected to materialise in 2025, with the Middle East being the first region globally to recover its Chinese inbound market.
Read: Sustainability, startups and innovation in aviation sector on the agenda at ATM 2024
Tourism surge from China
China lifted its Covid-19-related travel restrictions on January 8, 2023, allowing Chinese tourists to travel abroad without having to quarantine upon their return. Bookings for overseas travel during the Chinese New Year soared by 540 percent compared with the same period in 2022, according to data from the Chinese travel site Trip.com.
Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, ATM, commented: “Last year, some analysts were predicting that the Chinese outbound market would recover to around six million per month by the summer of 2023, driven in part by the pent-up demand especially from young, affluent Chinese.”
“However, that rebound wasn’t as great as many tourism professionals had hoped for and now analysts are confident that this year we could see Chinese visitor numbers double year-on-year, with major destinations in the Middle East recovering quicker than any other internationally, especially for luxury travel,” Curtis added.
ATM 2024 sets the stage
Chinese participation at ATM 2024 is expected to more than double compared with ATM 2019, with new exhibitors that include private sector companies such as Heytrip International, Jiangsu Intelligence Equipment Co, Flightroutes24 Travel Company Ltd, Feeyo Technology and anticipated destination representation from Macao Government Tourism Office, China Cultural Centre in the UAE and the Hongkong Tourism Board.
ATM is also organising a dedicated conference session on this key market in its Global Stage, entitled ‘Capitalising on China’s Predicted Tourism Surge’, in association with Huawei. This session, which takes place on May 6, will explore the changing trends, cultural preferences and the role of mobile marketing and tourism predictions in the Chinese tourism market.
In line with this year’s show theme ‘Empowering Innovation: Transforming Travel Through Entrepreneurship’, other highlights at ATM include entrepreneurship-focused sessions as well as dedicated sessions for other key source markets such as India and the Americas. As well as showcasing a range of event features based around the theme, informative content will be delivered across the Global Stage and the new Future Stage at ATM 2024, led by respected industry keynote speakers, and thought leaders.
ATM, now in its 31st year, is the leading international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2023 welcomed over 40,000 attendees and hosted over 30,000 visitors, including more than 2,100 exhibitors and representatives from over 150 countries, across 10 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre. Arabian Travel Market is part of Arabian Travel Week.
For more news on hospitality and tourism, click here.