The coronavirus has brought tourism from China to a standstill. This is affecting hotels and trade, but also cruise ships. At Tallink & Silja Line, 11,000 Chinese have cancelled their trips during February and March.
”Of course we are worried,” says Katri Link, Head of Communications for Tallink Group.
Both cruise giants Tallink Group and Viking Line are noticing a clear loss of Chinese tourists after China introduced a ban on arranging group trips in combination with both SAS and Finnair choosing to cancel their flights to and from Mainland China.
”"The Chinese often fly to Helsinki, they want to see the capitals. So they like to go to Tallinn and they like to go to Stockholm. Chinese tourism is a growing market for the future, and we see how it is constantly increasing," says Johanna-Boijer Svahnström, Communications Director at Viking Line.
At Viking Line, Chinese passengers account for around 2 percent of the total number of passengers, which means 100,000 Chinese tourists on board during a year, with most traveling in the summer. Despite this, Viking Line is seeing a clear effect of the coronavirus, with 2,000 passengers being cancelled during February.
”"Because you are not allowed to travel out of China now, we are not seeing any groups coming in. We don't know yet how this will affect us financially because the costs vary depending on when you travel, but it is clear that there is still a volume that is being lost," says Johanna-Boijer Svahnström.
If the stoppage lasts a long time, Viking Line will have to start focusing on working on other markets, she says.
”"Then we have to try to get volumes from other sources and be realistic. We have to evaluate then."”
At competitor Tallink Group, cancellations have reached 11,000 during February and March. Throughout the year, "a few hundred thousand" Chinese travel on some of Tallin Group's cruise ships, according to communications manager Katri Link.
She is concerned about the development but believes that the loss Tallink & Silja Line is now experiencing is marginal.
”"The impact is limited so far and it is too early to say what the significance of a longer stop will be.".
Japanese cruise ship Diamond Princess with more than 3,700 people on board was recently quarantined, ten passengers reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. Viking Line and Tallink & Silja Line have in common that they have introduced stricter cleaning procedures after the virus became known – and are prepared if passengers should show ominous symptoms.
”"In general, we are more careful with hygiene, the staff washes their hands often, does not have close contact with passengers unless necessary. And if we suspect a case, we act immediately," says Katri Link.
The fact that tourism from China is growing in Sweden is not least evident in the number of overnight stays, where 2019 was a record year. Almost 400,000 overnight stays were made last year, which is approximately 60,000 more than in 2018. Countries such as Norway, Germany, Denmark and the USA are still ahead of China in the number of tourists visiting Sweden, but this is a development that may soon change.
”"Global travel flows from China are increasing steadily. It's about the economic situation with a growing and traveling middle class. During a trip to Sweden, people want to experience cities, try good food and drink, but also experience Swedish culture. Shopping is important for Chinese travelers and this also applies to trips to Sweden," says Ewa Lagerqvist, CEO of the state-owned Visit Sweden.
Visit Sweden wants to be cautious about making predictions about how tourism will be affected if the virus spreads even further - and the travel ban is extended.
”"Tourism from China has come to a standstill, that's about what we can say at the moment and on a general level. We are now following developments and are in close contact with Chinese tour operators," says Ewa Lagerqvist.
That the Chinese are wealthy is evident in the report released by Swedish Commerce last fall. In it, China tops the list of those who spend the most on average on a single purchase.
”"They shop a lot when they are here, especially watches and branded goods. It can also be noted that we have a lot of goods in Swedish trade that come from China. If there are long-term disruptions in deliveries, it is clear that it could affect the range and then I would think that it primarily affects the electronics trade," says Mats Hedenström, head of business policy at the Confederation of Swedish Trade.
At the Nordic Choice hotel chain, the operations manager, Katalin Paldeak, states that they have received some cancellations from Asian group tour operators, but not in Sweden. Instead, they are about Tromsø in Norway and Helsinki in Finland.
”"It's nothing dramatic yet, but there have been cancellations, especially in the last week," she says.
The large influx of Asian tourists normally comes in the summer. She estimates that about 50,000 Asians visit the hotel chain each year, with about 80 percent coming in the summer.
Katalin Paldeak doesn't feel any real nervousness yet, but she points out that the development depends on how quickly the spread of the infection subsides. If cancellations come too close to the summer, it will be more difficult to replace those guests.
Source: di.se
