While tourism “statisticians” are counting on the return of tourists from China, which can significantly change the balance of power, from within the EU, the return of Chinese tourists has begun to “put up bands”. Europe has begun to shut down the most numerous tourists: the government of Sweden, which will preside over the European Union during the first six months of 2023, has decided to introduce barriers at the borders. At the same time, France, Italy and Spain have already begun compulsory testing of Chinese tourists for covid last week, and Germany is waiting for a coordinated decision from the EU. Moreover, the Finnish authorities have stated that they will impose national restrictions on Chinese tourists if the EU does not make such a decision.
Back to Sweden: the development of a crisis management mechanism of the Council for an Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) was officially announced there, the purpose of which, among other things, is to minimize the risks of a possible re-emergence of COVID-19. Including restrictions are planned for tourists from China. However, it is obvious that the decision was caused not only by concern for health, but politically and economically biased.
“Because of the situation in China, joint European action is needed,” the initiators assure. They recall that so far, three EU member states have imposed entry restrictions for passengers from China after an increase in the number of cases. And Sweden “strives for a single line for the entire EU,” the local authorities said. In particular, additional verification measures are expected to be introduced at airports.
Recall that Thailand was the first to express concern – there, firstly, they fear that local attractions and beaches will be instantly “flooded” and overwhelmed by this wave. The kingdom is also confident that the Chinese will again bring the coronavirus into the country. If the Chinese return to their pre-pandemic travel habits, the 2023 forecast will immediately rise from 20 million to more than 25 million tourists, with around 500,000 coming for Chinese New Year alone, the Tourism Authority of Thailand has assured.
However, there are also pessimists. Officially, they fear new outbreaks of covid, despite the fact that an outbreak is now being recorded in China. The head of the TAT, Yuttasak Supasorn, promised to consult with the Ministry of Health to resolve the issue and make sure that the healthcare system in Thailand is ready. But for other tourists, including Russians, something else is important: the “mechanism” of travel itself may not be ready for a sharp jump in the number of Chinese tourists, experts say. Read the details at this link.
In Russia, the return of Chinese tourist flows is also mostly commented on by pessimists. Given the shortage of incoming tourists, the Chinese will most likely be provided with special favored treatment. And with them – and the “Chinese tourist mafia”, which in previous years brought a lot of problems to the legal tourist industry. Recall that even at the very beginning of pandemics and lockdowns, Russian experts already assumed that after the stabilization of the situation and the return of Chinese tourist flows, the “tenacious” black market would definitely try to restore its positions again, or even take over the “white” sector of the tourism industry, bled white by the epidemic, as the tourist mafia wants to make up for their losses. Read more at this link.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “British doctors named 7 simple ways to fight inflammation.”