The number of Chinese overnight stays has doubled from 2009 – 2012. Visit Denmark which is in charge of marketing Danish tourism reports that numbers have gon up from 55,00 to 115,000.The Chinese have made their way to Denmark in a big way and they have now surpassed Japanese and Russians, according to Kristeligt Dagblad.
In comparison the Japanese had 93,000 overnight stays in Denmark while the Germans scored at the top with 12 million overnight stays.
”The Chinese market cannot alone save Denmark from a decrease in tourism but the market is exciting because it is developing so fast,” said head of VisitDenmark, Flemming Bruhn.
He says that from 2007 to 2012 the number of Chinese tourists to Denmark has increased by 120 percent compared to the rest of Western Europe where the increase in the same period was 30 percent.
The increase is the effect of campaigns in China made by VisitDenmark and Nordic Tourist Council.
”It also helped that the Little Mermaid got huge coverage during the World Fair in 2010 in Shanghai,” said Flemming Bruhn.
The Chinese tourists who travel to Denmark are a part of the somewhat higher middle class which at the moment makes up for 39 million Chinese. This number is expected to grow to 104 million by 2020. The higher middle class is defined by having a personal fortune somewhere between DKK 200,000 and DKK five million.
Typically the Chinese only have 1-2 nights in Denmark because they have a combined Scandinavian tour and most only experience Copenhagen. VisitDenmark is now trying to change that.
”At the moment the Chinese are mainly visiting Copenhagen but we are also trying to market trips to Fyn. It is a big experience fr many to travel to a capitol where it is possible to bike and walk around,” said Flemming Bruhn.
Source: epn.dk
