ew flights could push international visitors beyond hina’s key gateways as both inbound and outbound markets flourish, but the boom is not without hurdles, reports Peter Ellegard
China’s set to come out on top
T
ourism to China has traditionally been based around Beijing and Shanghai, but that could be in for a shake-up thanks to a boom in flights to regional cities.
In the past, tourists have often added
a Yangtse river cruise and perhaps a tour to Xi’an for its Terracotta Army, Chengdu to see giant pandas and Guilin for its limestone karst scenery and cormorant fishermen. But access from most international markets has been through its two key gateways.
In the last couple of years, however,
direct services linking China’s second and third-tier cities to overseas destinations have mushroomed, mostly driven by Chinese airlines. Following an agreement last ecember, boosting the number of flights permitted between the UK and China by 50%, London’s Heathrow alone has seen the Chinese points it serves more than double in 201 from five to 11. ew destinations Chongqing, Wuhan, Sanya, Changsha, Xi’an and Shenzhen are served by a combination of seven Chinese and two British carriers. London Gatwick gained Chengdu flights by ir hina in uly, about 1 months after British Airways dropped its Heathrow-Chengdu route dubbing it not commercially viable. Among other European gateways,
msterdam has flights to secondary cities including Xiamen and Fuzhou, while Paris has services to Xi’an and, from December, Shenzhen and Chongqing.
In the States, Los Angeles now has
direct flights to 12 hinese points, including iamen, angzhou, anjing, inan, hongqing, hangsha and Chengdu, with Xi’an and Shenyang set to join them. on-stop flights between the USA and China (excluding Hong Kong) have risen from 10 in 2006 to 61 in 2018.
Does this mean tourism to China will diversify? Opinion is mixed. Some observers claim the sudden proliferation of routes has been largely
42 wtm insights autumn 2018
Another tour operator, who asked not to be named, claimed some Chinese airlines are only interested in the outbound market and are not geared up to work with overseas tour operators. It cited an example of a carrier that was not on GDS system Amadeus and refused to issue previously-booked tickets a week prior to the travel date unless paid in cash at its China HQ.
Growth potential
A performer at Sichuan Opera, Chengdu, Sichuan province
driven by the Civil Aviation Authority of China’s “one route, one airline” policy, adopted in 2009.
This is now being eased to promote
growth of the new Beijing Daxing International airport, opening in 2019, with the result, some say, that existing routes might be consolidated. Meanwhile, overseas passengers
can be reluctant to fly on hinese airlines, while Chinese passengers favour their own carriers. Tour operator Links Travel &
Tours says its clients prefer to change in Beijing and Shanghai than fly direct with unfamiliar airlines. “During 2018, we’ve been in partnership with ainan irlines offering its direct flights from Manchester to Beijing, but have received very little interest, as UK travellers are wary of using airlines they haven’t heard of,” says UK marketing manager Hannah Lockett.
“The UK travel market, for our demographic, is a very conservative one that doesn’t like change.”
The expansion of bullet train services between Chinese cities also means that it’s not important where people fly to or from, she contends.
wtm.com
UK-based CTS Horizons is part of one of China’s largest travel groups, the CTS roup, which has 20 branch offices around the world. Managing director Rose Zhang believes the main secondary destination that will benefit from direct flights is Sanya, a resort on southerly Hainan Island – nicknamed “China’s Hawaii” for its tropical climate. Since May, visitors from 59 countries have been able to stay for up to 30 days in Hainan province visa-free, if arriving on direct flights. Zhang says they can journey onward in China with a visa that takes just 48 hours to process there,
Giant Buddha at Sanya, Hainan Island
© Peter Ellegard
© Peter Ellegard
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