Mainland Chinese tourists walk in front of the skyline of buildings at Tsim Sha Tsui, in Hong Kong, China May 2, 2023. REUTERSpix: The return of Chinese tourists to destinations worldwide will top off a spectacular post-coronavirus global tourism revival this year, according to industry leaders.
Leisure travel has overtaken business as the main reason for taking a plane or booking a room, according to Sebastien Bazin, head of Accor, Europe's biggest hotel group. Hotel group Accor has predicted that “millions” of Chinese could boost travel industry coffers in coming months. William Ellwood Heinecke, the billionaire Thai-American owner of the Minor International hospitality group, said that in the first quarter of 2023 the number of Chinese tourists in Thailand was 85 percent lower than in 2019.
Earlier this month, Dubai-based Emirates Group announced record full-year profits of three billion dollars, trumpeting a “full recovery” from the pandemic.