Ireland has recently witnessed a promising Chinese tourism, well boosted thanks to the introduction of a direct flight between Ireland and China.
The number of Chinese tourists to Ireland had reached to 50,000 in the year 2016, a year earlier than it had been estimated.
Niall Gibbons who is the chief executive of Tourism Ireland said that though they are yet to obtain official figures, last year they were certain that the visitor figures were more than 50,000 and that is exactly the target they have determined for this year as well. He said this in an event at the Irish embassy in Beijing.
Mr. Gibbons told the media that they have completed a review of developing markets out to 2025 and they are optimistic about the really great prospects in the market here.
He went on to add that this is one of the main reasons for his seventh visit in China at present.
For quite some time, the travel industry has been very eager for a direct air route linking Beijing or Shanghai with Ireland. Not, it has become one of the principal aims of Tourism Ireland to plan for an expansion in the China market. Right now, no airline has signed up to debut for this route.
But then, the travel industry sources feel that a direct flight might be feasible within a few months, most likely with a Chinese carrier.
Presently, travellers to Ireland are required to stop over in one of the United Arab Emirates hubs, or in Europe. Chinese visitors had spent nearly €240 billion last year that marks an increase of 12% over 2015. And, the number of travellers rose by 6% to 135 million, as per the data from the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).
Alison Johnson, the head of tourism at Kildare Village said that this year they are looking forward to a 100% increase in the number of Chinese tourists.
Ms. Johson mentioned that tourists generally prefer the more sophisticated brands when it comes to clothes and handbags, particularly the products of European brands.
