The sky’s the limit for bilateral exchanges, tourism cooperation

Experts have said supporting factors — including cultural events and bespoke flight services — have enhanced political and business ties between China and France, which will further boost people-to-people exchanges and tourism cooperation between the two sides in the long term.

China and France held their fifth High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue in Beijing with promising cooperation outcomes in early December.

The dialogue, co-chaired by Vice-Premier Ma Kai and French Minister of Finance and Economy Bruno Le Maire, saw 71 mutually beneficial cooperation deals.

Jiang Yiyi, director of the international department at the China Tourism Academy in Beijing, said France’s central location in Europe, rich cooking and wine culture, well-known museums and fashion brands, as well as its supportive policies and mature tourism facilities will help nurture the growth and diversification of Chinese tourists’ travel there over the next decade.

Research released by the China Tourism Academy in November estimated that about 2 million Chinese tourists planned visits to France in 2017. The French government and tourism-related businesses said they expect the number will reach 5 million by 2020 thanks to more media and market campaigns in China.

At present, there are about 35,000 Chinese students in France.

According to the academy’s research report, the majority of Chinese tourists heading overseas have middle to high incomes, with three-fourths spending between 5,000 to 20,000 yuan ($760-$3,040) on their travels this year. They prefer medium-priced or budget hotels and tend to choose self-planned, customized vacations.

“The rapid advance in technology in recent years means even cheap mobile phones are effectively palm-top computers, giving Chinese users instant access to real-time information on almost any topic,” said He Jingtong, a business professor at Nankai University in Tianjin.

France has already started to develop its peer-to-peer economy and new online payment approaches to better cater for Chinese tourists.

China’s popular bike sharing company, Ofo, started operating in Paris in early December to serve more Chinese tourists and local residents in the rapidly growing market, as the city strives to promote green transport to cut emissions.

Ofo’s signature bright yellow bikes can be found at both iconic landmarks and tranquil street corners around the city, and are quickly gaining popularity among locals and tourists alike.

“France is the 20th country where our company is present,” said Ofo’s co-founder Zhang Yanqi. “Our target is to reach 10,000 bikes in Paris, and we will soon launch our service in four other French cities.”

As the first European carrier to serve China, Air France-KLM has pledged a continuous bespoke service for the market. The company said that its passengers have been impressed by many new Chinese cultural features it is now offering on its services between China and Europe — including Chinese interpreters and a lavish Chinese menu.

These changes are tailored to the Chinese market by the aviation group, which boasts long-term links to the Chinese market. It offered a total of 90 weekly flights to nine destinations in China from its two hubs at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airports this summer.