MADRID, 12 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The number of trips by Chinese tourists abroad will double in 2024 compared to the previous year, although it will be 22% below 2019 figures, according to a report by Oxford Economics.

Its forecast is that Chinese visits outside its borders will not fully recover pre-pandemic levels until 2025, which represents "a noticeably slower recovery" than other large global source markets.

Chinese tourism finally resumed in 2023 and will continue to move towards recovery this year, as limited flight connections and passport and visa processing delays eased to some extent in the second half of 2023.

By destination, the Middle East will experience the fastest recovery in arrivals from China, according to the report. Thus, Chinese visits to the region will exceed pre-pandemic volumes in 2024, driven largely by travel to the United Arab Emirates.

In addition, Oxford Economics predicts that Chinese travel to other parts of Asia-Pacific, which receives the majority of Chinese visits, will fully recover in 2025, as will departures to Africa. Travel to Europe and America will not recover pre-pandemic volumes until 2026.