2024-02-09 18:28:27
Chinese tourists at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, in Paris, in August 2023. Ph Lavieille/PHOTOPQR/LE PARISIEN/MAXPPP
DECRYPTION – Persistent obstacles complicate the arrival of this clientele reputed to be the most spending in the world.
Dances and parades with dragons, demonstrations of calligraphy and martial arts… This weekend, Paris is celebrating in its own way the Chinese New Year and the transition to the year of the Wooden Dragon, which, according to the Chinese horoscope, will be synonymous with power and luck. Tourism professionals (hotels, restaurants, shops, historical monuments, etc.), many of whom take part in these festivities, are asking for only one thing: a massive return of Chinese tourists. Renowned for being the biggest spenders in the world, they are the foreign visitors still missing.
“In 2019, the Chinese represented 45% of our customers, testifies Benjamin Cymerman, president of the Faubourg Saint-Honoré Committee, in Paris. Today, it’s barely 10%. There is a real problem with granting visas and lack of air rotations.” The Faubourg concentrates the largest turnover in Paris, with 127 luxury boutiques, including Cartier, Berluti and Chopard. If his business is doing well, it’s…
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