STORY: Spanish expert foresees boost in tourism as Chinese holidaymakers return
SHOOTING TIME: July 12, 2024
DATELINE: July 14, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:07
LOCATION: BARCELONA, Spain
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Spain
2. SOUNDBITE (Catalan): ALBERT VANCELLS, Coordinator of the Bachelor's degrees in tourism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona
3. various of Spain

STORYLINE:

A Spanish expert has said that an increase in holidaymakers from China will bolster the tourist industries of Spain and other European countries.

Albert Vancells, coordinator of the Bachelor's degrees in tourism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, made the remarks in an interview with Xinhua on Friday.

SOUNDBITE (Catalan): ALBERT VANCELLS, Coordinator of the Bachelor's degrees in tourism at the Autonomous University of Barcelona
"The Chinese are opening up new air connections and recovering old connections that were not operating in the past few years, and so this will obviously lead to more Chinese tourism to the West and the whole world in general.
I think an advantage of Chinese tourism is that it doesn't prioritize the typical tourist product in Spain, which is the beach. Instead, it shows more interest in cultural and gastronomic activities, as well as trade fairs, congresses, and conventions. This shift could assist Spain in deseasonalizing its tourist activity."

According to Spain's tourism agency Turespana, over 60 percent of direct flights linking China and Spain before the pandemic have been restored.

Data from the Spanish Statistical Office showed that over 380,000 people visited Spain from China last year.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Barcelona, Spain.
(XHTV)