France anticipates 1.6 million visitors from China in 15 years, when Chinese tourists are expected to make 500 million trips worldwide annually, according to French foreign minister Laurent Fabius. He told French newspaper Libération in a visit to the northern French resort Mont-Saint Michel that arrivals from China had increased 56 per cent year-on-year since visa application processing was reduced to 48 hours.
He observed that despite France being the world’s most popular tourist destination, the duration of stay was relatively short leading to a net fall in tourist revenues. To tackle the issue, tourism authorities would put measures in place to encourage longer stays. Chinese visitors spent an average of 1,600 Euros per person. In order to encourage higher spending, service quality in the country should be enhanced, he said.(Translated by David)
