Millions of Visitors from China Expected

If the right policies are followed, Greece can expect a large number of tourists from China in the coming years, when that country is projected to become the world’s biggest tourism market, according to a study by the Institute of Tourism Research and Forecasts.

From the 10,000 to15,000 tourists that arrived here last year, China is expected to send Greece some 400,000 visitors in 2014, about 1.3 million in 2024 and 2.7 million in 2034, according to the institute’s forecasts. And those numbers could be increased substantially if proper measures are taken.

Attracting them will not be easy, says the newest institute’s study, as Greece cannot be easily combined in packages with other destinations.

On the positive side, however, this means that the Chinese visitor would stay anywhere from 10 to 12 days in Greece and spend accordingly.

The study suggests the opening of tourism bureaus in the main regions where tourists originate, an abundance of scheduled and charter flights -the Chinese traveler demand direct flights- close cooperation with travel organizations for market studies, and a very close cooperation with as many Chinese travel offices as humanly possible.

Institute forecasts show that average income for city workers in China will increase by more than 7% every year for the next 30 years.

Their present average annual income, says the study, stands at $8,400.