China is the main driver of global tourism and perhaps a good case study to understand how travelers’ expectations are changing and how the industry should adapt.

When we think about Chinese tourists in Europe, we visualize large groups, absorbed in crazy shopping, exclusively patronizing Chinese restaurants. Yet, in recent years the profile of Chinese tourism has significantly changed.

Chinese holiday makers today – as many others before them – are well researched travelers looking for in-depth tours.

Individual or small group travel is growing strong, set to surpass the size of big groups tourism. This trend, already pronounced prior to the pandemic, has appeared extraordinarily strong in China’s domestic tourism as outbound tourism has not been viable since the early stages of the pandemic.

According to ‘Little Red Book’, – a Chinese lifestyle site – in the run-up to this year’s weeklong National Day holiday- from 1 to 7 of October – online searches for “niche travel destination” have surged, Online travel agency Tuniu reports that about half of the booking in the period was made by small travel groups of six or fewer people who requested high-quality services and experiences.

The changing tastes of young Chinese consumers are also reflected into a rising popularity of global food cuisines that, despite a strong attachment to the traditional food of the country, represent now an integral part of their daily diet.

Similarly, an increasingly portion of clientele is interested in wine. An industry the country is heavily investing in as demonstrated by. China’s first International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo held in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the most important wine producing area in China.

All these changes, inevitably have – and will have once borders reopen – an impact on aspirations and behaviors of Chinese tourists.

More and more Chinese tourists consider consuming local food as an important way to understand the local culture, a striking difference with the recent past when particularly group tourists manifested a strong preference for Chinese food when abroad.

According to Dragon Trail’ s September 2021 China Traveler Sentiment Report, consuming local food is the most desired activity by the 73% of Chinese travelers who are thinking to visit an international destination; followed by “go to the seaside”, “visit landmarks (museums, architecture, etc.)” and “rural tourism”.

Among all, millennials and gen-z are definitively the most promising category for food and wine tourism, also due to a great spending capacity, and a tendency to travel as FIT.

Mothers traveling with their children during summer breaks from school – often together with other mothers – are also interested group because always looking to keep their children engaged and entertained with, for example, cooking classes, farms visits, etc.

Chinese families and young couples who decide to embark in self-driving vacations could also be a very promising opportunity for countryside tourism operators in Italy, communicating to this audience through Chinese social media platforms.

With the diversification and growth of an independent Chinese international tourism, the search for authentic experiences – cooking activities, wine-tours and organic production-related activities – is likely to become increasingly popular.

Italy, as a destination, has an enormous potential, not only because is one of the favorite destinations in Europe for Chinese tourists – according to ENIT Research Department report based on Eurostat data, around 5 million Chinese tourists visited Italy in 2018 – but because the country is recognized as a symbol of lifestyle, wine culture, and food safety.

As the China-Italy year of culture and tourism– initially planned for 2020 and postponed to 2022 due to the pandemic is approaching – there is still room for improving Italy attractiveness as a “food destination” for Chinese tourists.

We could try to improve our knowledge of Chinese food and social culture.

Most importantly, we could try to look at visitor in a new way, perhaps even consider establishing friendly relations.

According to Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s ‘Food Preferences of Chinese Tourists’ study on the eating behaviors of Chinese abroad, even the most adventurous travelers would feel more comfortable trying new dishes, if they know they have a Chinese cuisine option, or if they realize they are in a “Chinese Friendly” environment, if they could feel in a familiar surrounding

What would create a ‘Chinese-friendly’ environment?

It would be for example a clever idea to expand the conversation with Chinese tourists. Not only highlighting the (many!) similarities between Chinese and Italian food culture. or the millennial history of the two cultures.

It may prove useful to underline the medical role of food in both diets Mediterranean diet and Chinese as both countries traditional medical system has stressed the importance of a healthy diet as preventive measure. Regional Diversification of the dishes is another common trait in both culinary traditions as it is a predisposition toward food as element of conviviality: the care, the cooking and eating together, the jovial communication at the dinner table.

In short, trying to establish a relation with an enthusiast client who is looking forward to experience and learn something new. A good relation is always good for business.