It was a ballet to which Jean-Pierre Jaubert, lavender producer on the Valensole plateau (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), had become accustomed. Every day, between June and July, “up to twenty buses” Chinese tourists stopped in front of its purple plantations. First act: photo shoot in the middle of fragrant bushes. Second act: a tour of his shop, which sells essential oils, honey, creams or sachets scented with lavender.
For three summers, the ballet stopped. “ We have a few Europeans, but it has never exceeded two to three buses a day”comments this farmer, who has in his team a Chinese, Yi Shi, formerly in charge of welcoming this public. “In China, these lavender fields became famous thanks to a very popular series, Dream Links [sortie en 2008] », she explains. Needless to say, Jean-Pierre Jaubert is impatiently awaiting the return of these travelers.
From January 8, Chinese tourists, deprived of travel for three years, will again be able to obtain a tourist visa and will no longer be subject to quarantine on their return. In France, this call for air raises high hopes: in 2019, 2.2 million Chinese visited France. Trips of five days on average, with benefits estimated at 3.5 billion euros per year by Atout France, or 7% of tourist receipts.
“Crowded, dirty and dangerous capital”
This return will be gradual – if only for visa issues, or obtaining a passport, the issuance of which was suspended. “Tour operators will not return before the end of 2023 or 2024”predicts Vanguélis Panayotis, of the firm specializing in hotels MKG.
But everything suggests that France, which was until now the first destination for Chinese tourists in Europe, will continue to attract. “France, for the Chinese, is absolute otherness, it’s exotic, observes Elisa Cousseran, teacher at Inalco, who for several years organized trips to France for the Chinese public. It is associated with its heritage, romanticism, a certain art of living, in short, a glamorous image. Many see France through a very Hollywood filter. »
In the top 3 of the visited sites are the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe. One of the characteristics of this clientele is that they spend a lot: 191 euros per day, per person, on average (compared to 138 euros for other international tourists). Department stores and perfumery chains are taking advantage of this. Normally, at Galeries Lafayette and Printemps on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris, nearly 50% of business comes from foreigners.
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