Online concierge service center and hotline for Chinese tourists ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games (#191)
The current news in Chinese tourism, this week, is highlighted by the launch of an online concierge service center and a hotline for Chinese tourists by Alibaba / Fliggy and Choose Paris Region ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In this context, visitors will be able to scan the QR code on the flyer to instantly communicate with a Fliggy concierge. This service center, part of a strategic partnership formalized between Fliggy and Choose Paris Region in December 2023 in Hangzhou (reviving an initial partnership started in 2018), focuses on strengthening digital marketing and improving tourism services in anticipation of the expected influx of visitors during the Games. This influx of Chinese visitors during the Olympics could make this event (before, during, and after) the signal for the acceleration of Chinese tourism in France, potentially returning to its 2019 levels. The Chinese interest in the Olympics and the Olympic spirit of Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic manifesto, for French sports facilities to prepare for the Paris 2024 Olympics, and for sports outbound tourism could help France use these Olympics to begin its recovery of the top European spot in Chinese tourism. This will be achieved through an adaptation to the Chinese tourist of 2024, who is quite different from that of 2019.
1) Launch of an online concierge service center and a hotline for Chinese tourists ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games
A concierge and hotline service for a new type of tourist...
This jointly managed Center will provide concierge services to Chinese tourists visiting the Paris Region during the Olympics. Tourists will be able to instantly connect with Fliggy's online concierges for assistance with local sightseeing, travel bookings, and other expert advice. The Center will also offer a 24/7 telephone support service to help manage any unexpected issues travelers may encounter during their stay. Ada XU 徐玥 Director of International Affairs | Regional Director (EMEA) - Fliggy
Visitors will be able to scan the QR code on the flyer to instantly communicate with a Fliggy concierge.
As emphasized by Choose Paris Region, to facilitate access to the Center and promote its use, flyers will be available at the following locations:
This collaboration is part of a strategic partnership formalized between Fliggy and Choose Paris Region in December 2023 in Hangzhou.
On the occasion of the partnership between Fliggy and Choose Paris Region, signed on December 6, 2023, in Hangzhou, Christophe Decloux, Deputy General Manager ofChoose Paris Region, stated: "Our main goal is to create the ultimate experience for visitors. Our aim is to help our visitors better understand our city and the Parisian way of life." Zhuoran Zhuang, CEO of Fliggy, said: "Rooted in France's deep history and rich culture, the ?le-de-France region has long been a must-visit destination for Chinese travelers. Through this collaboration, we can combine Fliggy's ecosystem and innovations with the rich tourism resources of Choose Paris Region to better showcase the unique character of this beautiful city and create ever more exciting travel experiences, contributing to the promising future of Sino-French cultural tourism."
For more details, see the Chinese tourism newsletter #176 from December 12, 2023: Will France become the number one European destination for Chinese tourists again in 2024, the Sino-French year of cultural tourism?
This partnership also revived the partnership signed with Fliggy / Alibaba in 2018 by the President of the ?le-de-France Region, Madame Valérie Pécresse . See in this context the Chinese tourism newsletter #64 from June 18, 2018. Finally, alongside this dual partnership, Alibaba and Choose Paris Region collaborated in 2020 as part of the "virtual tourism series" that Fliggy launched during the health crisis. These were the first live events launched by tourist sites worldwide, allowing participants to have a dialogue with the hosts of the destination. These live broadcasts were launched in major European museums (Prado, British Museum, Louvre) and tourist destinations such as the Chateau de Versailles, which, on May 14, 2020, opened its doors for a 2-hour live virtual tour inside the Chateau and its gardens, as part of a live stream produced and broadcast on Fliggy's platform.
See my article on Tom Travel (in French), from July 5, 2022, "Dream today, travel later: the success of Chinese tourism livestreaming."
This agreement between Fliggy and Choose Paris Region focuses on strengthening digital marketing and improving tourism services in anticipation of the expected influx of visitors during the Games. Indeed, the arrival of Chinese tourists worldwide is accelerating. Bernstein, in fact, speaks, in French, of the return of Chinese tourists. While Asia, as regularly mentioned in this Chinese tourism newsletter, is their favorite vacation destination and they are increasingly traveling to the Middle East, flights to Europe reached 86% of their 2019 levels in June 2024, although this concerns Belgium and England more than Italy and France. The Olympics could help France return to the forefront of European destinations favored by Chinese tourists, according to Atout France's forecasts, which estimate that they could lead to a 354% increase in Chinese air arrivals (see the Chinese tourism newsletter from May 13: "354% Growth in Chinese Tourism During the Olympics?"). It must be said that the Chinese greatly appreciate the Olympic Games.
2) The interest of the Chinese in the Olympics, sports outbound tourism, and French sports facilities for preparing for the Paris 2024 Olympics
领英推荐
In 2022, sports tourism, symbolized by the "Run to France" activity, was already seen as a potential lever for the recovery of (sports) tourism in France on the occasion of the World Cup or the Olympics.
The major international sporting events that were anticipated at the time (World Cup, Olympic Games) could be important milestones for the recovery of Chinese tourism worldwide. This reflects the importance of sports and major sporting events in China and, consequently, Chinese outbound (sports) tourism.
The stay in France of Chinese national teams training for the Olympics, such as the national rowing team that trained for two months in Vichy in the summer of 2022, was, in a way, a precursor to the resumption of (sports) tourism in France. In this context, we can mention Fliggy's Qatar World Cup offer for the Chinese diaspora in Europe, or how Tencent boosts videos posted on its WeChat Channel live platform by mini KOLs who film sports events, which was already considered by some in 2022 as early indicators of the recovery of Chinese tourism, especially sports tourism.
An illustration of the importance of major sports events in China, especially when they are linked to the Olympic flame, is given on the occasion of the 130th anniversary of Pierre de Coubertin's conference at the Sorbonne, presenting his project to revive the Olympic flame (in French).
In this context, the Chinese magazine CIVILIZATION organized a day on November 25, 2022, titled: "Dialogue of Civilizations from the Heavenly Time and Forum on World Civilizations and the 2022 Olympic Games." To do so, the magazine launched an activity, "Run to France," both to celebrate this "Olympic Manifesto" so that everyone can gather in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, echoing the presence of Chinese tourists and sponsors in France in 2024 for the Olympics. Another early indicator of the recovery of Chinese (sports) tourism in France?
In 2024, during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, various meetings and numerous events and exhibitions took place, reflecting the Chinese interest in the Olympics with the exhibition "100 Years Imprint, Peace through Sport and Art," inaugurated at the Pierre de Coubertin Stadium in Paris on May 7, in the presence of Pascal Gentil and Claude Guéant, among others.
According to the organizer, Mr. Jingshi FENG, "this event aims to promote the Olympic values, Peace through Sport and Art, around the personality of Pierre de Coubertin, the founding father of the Modern Olympic Games. To demonstrate mutual understanding between Chinese and French cultures and illustrate the friendship between our two countries, the Imprint Committee presents 33 busts inspired by that of Pierre de Coubertin and imbued with the spirit of the Olympic Games. These works, created by 33 renowned Chinese artists, were thus exhibited on the eve of the start of the 2024 Olympic torch relay in France and the day after President Xi's state dinner in France."
XXX
Although primarily Asian, the acceleration of Chinese tourism to the Middle East and Europe (86% of air arrivals compared to 2019) is confirmed. However, France has not yet regained its position as the number one European destination for Chinese tourists. The Olympics may be a tremendous opportunity for French tourist and cultural visibility in China. First, because the Chinese appreciate the Olympic spirit and Pierre de Coubertin's Olympic manifesto (the "Run to France" activity in 2022 and the "100 Years Imprint, Peace through Sport and Art" exhibition). Second, because there is a passion for sports (football, basketball), which often translates into sports tourism for major events (World Cup, Euro, Olympics).
The Olympics could thus be the cornerstone of this recovery of Chinese tourism, for which Atout France predicts a 354% increase in Chinese air arrivals. Indeed, alongside the Franco-Chinese year of cultural tourism, the 60th anniversary of relations between the two countries, and the Cultutur'export China program by BPI France, these Olympics will provide exceptional visibility for France in China.
These Olympics will also mark the launch of the online concierge service center and a hotline for Chinese tourists set up by Fliggy and Choose Paris Region, which may prove to be one of the major digital tools for welcoming Chinese tourists. This could place France in a good position compared to its European neighbors in the new global competition to attract the new Chinese tourist of 2024.
Moreover, the visibility of France in China thanks to the Olympics has started before the Games and will be particularly measured during the upcoming major Chinese holidays (National Day on October 1, New Year in February 2025). In this context, Fliggy has offered packages for Chinese tourists before and after the Olympics.
Finally, the Olympics and their preparation have also increased the visibility of French destinations in China, sought for Olympic training (Vichy, Deauville) or for Olympic events (Vanves, Marseille). This also allows France to highlight the assets and authenticity of its various destinations, thus addressing the new Chinese tourist of 2024, who appreciates experiential, authentic, traditional, rural tourism, and gastronomy.
Will the Olympics, in this context, manage to truly rekindle the flame of Chinese tourism in France?
?