Chinese tourists are making a strong comeback to the international tourism market as data from major international airports reveal. Chinese travelers are reshaping the market dynamics, with an increase in connectivity being a major goal for popular destinations like Greece.
According to the latest data from Mabrian Technologies on connectivity in the world’s top ten air travel markets, the United States ranks first with 165.5 million air seats (an increase of 8.8%), followed by the United Kingdom with 152.6 million seats (+6.4%), and Spain in third place with 115.7 million seats (+11.5%).
Greece’s other competitors in the Mediterranean are also on this list with France (86.2 million seats, +5%) in the fifth place, Italy (84.9 million seats, +13.7%) in the seventh and Turkey (72.7 million seats, +8.9%) in the ninth position.
Although Greece is not among the top 10 countries with the highest air connectivity globally, it is showing one of the fastest growth rates in 2024 compared to the five European countries with the highest connectivity growth rates.
Greece ranks 25th globally in terms of international connectivity, and according to Mabrian Technologies, its international air connectivity, regarding outbound flights, increased by 10.5% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
Expanding Greece’s connectivity with China and attracting Chinese tourists is strategic goal, particularly for Athens International Airport. In line with this objective, in 2024, Athens increased its direct flights to Beijing and Shanghai, with additional services from Air China (Beijing) and Juneyao Air (Shanghai).
A benchmark for air travel between China and Greece is 2019 when approximately 300,000 Chinese visitors (round trip) arrived in Greece, with only 10% traveling on direct flights. By 2023, arrivals had reached 90% of 2019 levels, and projections for 2024 suggest that this figure will surpass the 2019 benchmark.
According to a study by the European Travel Commission (ETC) for the first four months of 2024, Greece ranks tenth among European countries that Chinese tourists plan to visit in 2024, holding a 12% share.
