Many cities try to lure massive spending Chinese tourists, but Paris is year after year a winner, also when it comes to what they spend per capita. China Rich List founder Rupert Hoogewerf explains the magic of France´s capital in the Jakarta Post, and the challenges for competitors.
The Jakarta Post:
France outstrips its Mediterranean neighbours when it comes to the “Peking Pound”. A Chinese tourist will spend up to 900 euros ($1,029) in Spain, but in Paris the amount jumps to 1,500 euros a visit. The capital is the top tourist destination in the world – with about 32.3 million visitors in 2013 – and the Chinese formed the fifth-largest group of visitors after the UK, the United States, Germany and Italy.
Paris is also the preferred shopping city in the world among the Chinese, according to Global Blue, a tourism shopping tax refund service provider. Rupert Hoogewerf, founder and compiler of the Hurun China Rich List and other research material regarding China’s elite, says France consistently rates highly among the country’s super rich. “The appeal of Paris is enormous: wine, luxury, art, food. There’s an element of that high, extended lifestyle.
In Hurun’s Best of the Best List 2015, France comes in second to Australia for top international luxury travel destination, beating the Maldives and Dubai, and Air France ranks higher than British Airways for its first and business class travel.
“French brands have built up a cachet and it’s had a huge impact on China. Chanel is the queen of luxury for women. Hermes and LV (Louis Vuitton) are popular with Chinese men,” Hoogewerf says.
“As the Chinese domestic luxury market has flattened out because of high prices and the anti-corruption drive, there has been this overseas shopping spree. It’s putting pressure on the brands, and it’s a real headache for them. They need to maintain that standard of service. Someone who buys a watch in Switzerland will expect that level of service in China. It’s a challenge.”
Rupert Hoogewerf is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´ request form.
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