Burgundy lures wealthy Chinese tourists with an appetite for culture, and wine
- The city of Dijon and the wider Burgundy region are wooing Chinese operators of luxury tours
- Chinese day trippers being replaced by longer-stay visitors
Sixty-five Chinese travel agents from 18 cities were greeted in the classical Palais des Ducs de Bourgogne in Dijon, a city in eastern France, earlier this year at a stately town hall reception. After a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, the visitors dressed to impress for an evening meal at Sofitel’s Grand Hotel La Cloche.
Their presence was part of a concerted effort by the city and the surrounding Burgundy-Franche-Comté region to woo more high-end Chinese travellers by appealing to their love of French culture and the country’s way of life.
The mission is paying off, especially in Dijon, the regional capital. Chinese tourists account for the majority of foreign guests in the city’s hotels.
The number of overnight hotel stays by Chinese tourists in Dijon and the surrounding Côte-d’Or department rose substantially in two years: from 341,000 in 2015 to 524,796 last year, according to a study by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee). A department is the French equivalent of a county.
Sladana Zivkovic, president of the Dijon Métropole tourism office, says there is already a marked change under way, as the typical whirlwind Chinese group tour – stopping in Dijon for a single night – gives way to longer-term stays.
“Initially we were dealing with coachloads of group tours on short breaks, in a well-organised programme throughout France,” says Zivkovic. “So it was a passing clientele who did not really make the most out of such a visit, as it just flew by, and they didn’t necessarily spend a lot of money.
