Ep 159: China Reopens for Travel: What Happens Next?, with Prof. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, COTRI

So, here it is… the first episode of 2023. As we roll into our 4th year of The South East Asia Travel Show, there’s only one place to begin. China’s reopening currently dominates all analysis of travel and tourism. So it’s fitting that we welcome to the show a long-time friend, Prof. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, CEO of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI). Flipping our usual format, Hannah interviews Wolfgang and Gary, who will co-publish The 2023 China Outbound Tourism Handbook, on 22 January.

Show notes

Here is the full interview question list:

1. Talk us through what actually changed on 8 January in terms of border policies
2. Pre-pandemic, were groups of Chinese travellers or FITs the most popular?
3. How important is it to the world’s tourism industry that Chinese travellers are back?
4. How will the testing requirements for other countries impact Chinese travellers’ destination choice?
5. What can we expect for the Lunar New Year travel, both domestically and internationally?
6. What volumes should we expect for Chinese travellers in 2023 - will we see pre-pandemic levels?
7. Which segments of Chinese travellers will travel first?
8. What is the situation for international air capacity from China? Can we expect that to ramp up quickly?
9. How have expectations changed for Chinese travellers?
10. What new segments have emerged for domestic travel? Will these apply for international travel, too?
11. How important is technology to Chinese travellers - and how is that different from Southeast Asia or the rest of the world?
12. Given that holidays and tourism are usually among the first types of consumerism cut back when spending confidence is low, in which sectors of the Chinese outbound market are these cut backs most likely? And, in what ways will Chinese tourists seek to gain more bang from their buck whilst travelling?
13. How can businesses ensure that they are China-ready?