China is one of the most interesting source markets for Italian tourism, and the Italian tourism board (Enit) intends to ride the positive wave, also increasing the reference targets. This is confirmed by the data and analyses developed by Enit.
China will be the country with the highest number of departures for the foreign basins by 2020. Today it is absolutely first in terms of spending, with a total expenditure of 228 billion euro and steady growth. For Italy, China represents one of the fastest growing source markets (+10%). Travelers from China stay in Italy, on average, 11.1 nights and the average per capita expenditure is 117 euros per night.
“We are the first destination in the Schengen area, but for Italy, China is the 11th market and tourists from the Pearl of the East represent 2.4% of the total,” expert Elena Di Raco noted.
“With regard to specific destinations, the perception of Italy by the Chinese market is very limited to Lazio, Vento and Tuscany. The positioning of the other locations is a great opportunity. A market will be built, and we have to work a lot in this direction,” she added.
Millennials and families the target
Tourists, however, spend more in Lombardy than in Lazio. This is a sign of the great appeal of tourism linked to luxury and fashion. The lion’s share is senior tourism (45-64 years old) mainly directed in the cities of art. But Enit’s intent is to penetrate the target of families and millennials and work on more source markets and segments: from food and wine to tourism related to sport and tourism of the highest level (golf and resorts).
