{"id":816061,"date":"2026-03-10T06:40:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T06:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/816061\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T06:40:17","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T06:40:17","slug":"europe-introduces-new-solutions-to-simplify-journeys-for-high-value-chinese-travellers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/816061\/","title":{"rendered":"Europe introduces new solutions to simplify journeys for high-value Chinese travellers"},"content":{"rendered":"

At\u00a0ITB Berlin 2026<\/a>, tourism and finance leaders discussed how Europe can make travel easier, safer and more seamless for Chinese visitors as flows between the two regions gradually recover. The session, titled\u00a0\u201cEnabling Seamless Travel Between China and Europe\u201d, was organised by the\u00a0European Travel Commission\u00a0(ETC) together with\u00a0Mastercard\u00a0and brought together stakeholders from tourism, finance and technology to strengthen\u00a0Sino-European travel connections.<\/p>\n

Strengthening the Sino-European tourism corridor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Opening the discussion,\u00a0Eduardo Santander, CEO of the ETC, highlighted the strategic importance of the\u00a0Sino-European tourism corridor, describing China as one of Europe\u2019s most important long-haul visitor markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think that the Sino-European corridor is going to play a very important role in the current geopolitical moment,\u201d Santander said, stressing that stronger collaboration between tourism organisations, financial institutions and destinations will be essential to support travel between the two regions.<\/p>\n

He also noted that Chinese outbound tourism has evolved significantly in recent years. Many travellers now prefer independent or small-group trips and increasingly seek authentic cultural experiences rather than traditional organised tours.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur responsibility as European destinations and businesses is clear,\u201d he added. \u201cWe must inspire travellers, make travel across Europe effortless and ensure the experience is one they want to repeat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Santander with Hao Zheng, Executive Director of the World Tourism Alliance \u00a9 ETC<\/p>\n

Chinese travellers seeking deeper experiences<\/strong><\/p>\n

Providing the perspective of the Chinese tourism sector,\u00a0Hao Zheng, Secretary-General of the World Tourism Alliance, explained that Chinese travellers are increasingly looking for meaningful experiences rather than simply visiting iconic landmarks.<\/p>\n

\u201cTravellers today are no longer satisfied with simply ticking destinations off a list,\u201d Zheng said. \u201cThey are looking for meaningful and memorable moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neighbourhood caf\u00e9s, boutique hotels, local markets and regional gastronomy are therefore becoming increasingly important parts of the travel experience, reflecting a shift towards\u00a0experience-driven tourism.<\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a9 Mika Baumeister on Unsplash<\/p>\n

Partnerships and payments enabling seamless travel<\/strong><\/p>\n

The discussion also highlighted the role of financial technology in supporting smoother travel between China and Europe.<\/p>\n

During the event, Mastercard and the European Travel Commission presented the\u00a0ICBC European Travel Co-branded Credit Card, developed together with\u00a0Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. The card aims to facilitate payments for Chinese travellers visiting Europe while providing additional travel-related benefits.<\/p>\n

\"\" \u00a9 Travel Tomorrow<\/p>\n

Solveig Honor\u00e9 Hatton, Senior Vice President for Public Sector Europe at Mastercard, said cooperation between the tourism and financial sectors can significantly improve the travel experience. \u201cWhen people travel, they do not just cross borders,\u201d she said. \u201cThey bring culture, curiosity and commerce with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The card is designed to make payments easier for Chinese visitors by offering secure and widely accepted payment solutions across European destinations.<\/p>\n

Although visitor numbers from China have not yet fully returned to pre-pandemic levels, industry leaders stressed that Chinese tourists remain among the\u00a0most valuable long-haul visitors to Europe. Chinese travellers typically stay longer, visit multiple destinations and spend more across accommodation, gastronomy, culture and retail experiences.<\/p>\n

Visa policy supporting renewed travel flows<\/strong><\/p>\n

The discussion also takes place as\u00a0China\u00a0expands travel facilitation policies. Beijing recently confirmed that\u00a0visa-free entry for citizens of most European countries will be extended until the end of 2026, allowing stays of up to 30 days without requiring a visa.<\/p>\n

The policy is part of China\u2019s broader effort to revive international tourism following the pandemic. According to the country\u2019s National Immigration Administration, visa-free arrivals doubled in 2024 compared with the previous year, surpassing 20 million visitors.<\/p>\n

Combined with improved travel services, payment solutions and stronger partnerships between tourism stakeholders, industry leaders believe the\u00a0Sino-European travel corridor\u00a0could become an increasingly important driver of global tourism in the coming years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At\u00a0ITB Berlin 2026, tourism and finance leaders discussed how Europe can make travel easier, safer and more seamless…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":816062,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5174],"tags":[235237,235232,235234,2000,299,5187,74371,235235,235231,15684,235238,235233,235236],"class_list":["post-816061","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-eu","tag-china-visa-free-travel-europe","tag-chinese-travellers-europe","tag-eduardo-santander","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-european","tag-european-travel-commission","tag-icbc-credit-card","tag-itb-berlin-2026","tag-mastercard","tag-seamless-travel","tag-sino-european-tourism","tag-world-tourism-alliance"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116203516342849072","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816061","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=816061"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816061\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816061"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816061"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816061"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}