Chinese flock to Italy in a growing phenomenon

World
Europe

Rising Chinese tourism to Italy and Europe is the subject of the 160th issue of the Mondo Cinese (Chinese World) journal, said the Italy-China Foundation.

Founded in 1973, Mondo Cinese is Italy's only scientific journal dedicated to studying contemporary China.

Titled "Italian Holidays," the issue presented Monday in Milan is entirely dedicated to Chinese tourism – a choice that is borne out by the numbers, according to the Italy-China Foundation, which publishes the journal.

Last year, 3.79 million Chinese tourists visited Italy, making the Mediterranean country the fourth destination of choice after Germany, the US, and France, according to data from Confturismo trade association and ISTAT official statistics agency.

Photo via Chinese Tourist Agency

According to Italian national tourism agency ENIT, 3.38 million Chinese tourists traveled to Italy in 2015, up a whopping 45 percent over 2014.

By 2020, China will likely be the country in the world with the most tourists traveling abroad, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).

These and other data are analyzed in the "Italian Holidays" issue, which includes contributions from Italian professors, journalists, business people and other China experts, as well as Italian Ambassador to Beijing Ettore Francesco Sequi and Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways Italy Country Manager Erika Peng.

The publication comes ahead of the Europe-China Tourism Year in 2018, which will officially kick off on January 19 in Venice – "a key junction in the new Silk Road and a city that Chinese travelers particularly love," the Italy-China Foundation said in a statement.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency