A woman poses in front of Katara beach in Doha on December 12, 2022 (AFP/Archives/GABRIEL BOUYS)
The long-awaited return of Chinese tourists will boost the strong recovery in world tourism after “two years of hell” due to Covid-19, said industry players gathered this week in Doha.
As part of the Qatar Economic Forum, aircraft manufacturers, airlines and hotel magnates welcomed the strong recovery in the sector, while stressing the importance of the Asian country’s clientele.
“The wanderlust has never been greater and the industry is struggling to meet that demand,” said David Calhoun, CEO of Boeing, who said he was overwhelmed with plane orders.
If the summer season in the northern hemisphere should allow air traffic to return to its pre-pandemic level, carriers are also counting on Chinese passengers, freed from the restrictions imposed during the pandemic, to fill their coffers.
Qatar Airways airline boss Akbar Al Baker in Doha on November 13, 2022 (AFP/Archives/Giuseppe CACACE)
Qatar Airways flights from China are “absolutely full”, rejoiced the boss of the Gulf company, Akbar al-Baker.
“Not only are they paying the fares imposed due to the lack of available capacity, but they are spending more money at our duty-free shops at the (Doha) airport than any other nationals,” he said. added.
For the American-Thai billionaire, William Ellwood Heinecke, owner of the Minor International hotel group, the boom in Chinese demand should be fully felt in the second half.
“We are definitely on the rebound, but the most important thing is that we haven’t seen China come back yet,” he said, pointing out that the number of Chinese tourists to Thailand in the first quarter was still 85% lower than in 2019.
Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes, who notably owns Air Asia, hopes that the 250 aircraft of the low-cost company, grounded during the health crisis, can be put back into service by the month of august.
“We are in a strange situation: yesterday we were fighting for our survival, today we are restarting 200 planes, which is a colossal job,” he noted.
– “Reasonable price” –
Industry players have seen the market shift, with leisure travel taking over business travel, which traditionally accounted for two-thirds of demand.
Camel ride in the dunes of Al Wakrah, south of Doha, December 12, 2022 (AFP/Archives/David GANNON)
“This distribution will probably be reversed. We are already at 55% for leisure and 45% for business”, assured Sébastien Bazin, CEO of the Accor hotel group, the largest in Europe, attributing this trend in particular. to remote work.
Industry representatives also defended the higher prices in the market, citing the losses accumulated during the Covid-19.
“We’ve been through two hellish years,” Bazin recalled, saying the rate for deluxe rooms is currently 33-35% higher than in 2019, while regular rooms are 10-12% more expensive. .
The lobby of the Al-Messila hotel in Doha on October 13, 2022 (AFP/Archives/-)
The hospitality industry is also facing growing difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff, he said.
Institutions that relied on low interest rates, cheap labor and low energy prices need to rethink their model, Heinecke added.
As for plane tickets, they are now at a “reasonable price”, said Malaysian Tony Fernandes.
© 2023 AFP
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