Chinese tourists make selfies in a lavender field in Valensole, southern France, in June 2017. PHOTO: BORIS HORVAT / AFPVenice - 21 January 2017: Chinese tourists are big spenders and with the numbers visiting Europe set to soar by nearly 70 percent over the next five years, European countries are rolling out the red carpet to make the guests feel welcome.A total of 12.4 million Chinese tourists, mostly in guided tour groups, came to Europe in 2017, according to the European Travel Commission (ETC). And the Chinese Tourism Academy (CTA) is expecting the number to reach 20.8 million by 2022. "They want to have personal experiences and visit areas where they don't see other Chinese people," said Eduardo Santander, ETC's executive director, adding that Chinese visitors to Europe "like the cuisine, the music, the blue skies. With 129 million Chinese holidaymakers travelling abroad, they account for one-fifth of the total number of tourists globally.

Source: Egypt Today January 21, 2018 13:52 UTC