Chinese tourists told to exercise caution during Europe travels

Travel professionals expect a dip in the number of Chinese tourists visiting Europe after the twin terrorist attacks on the Brussels International Airport and a rush-hour subway station on Tuesday.

Belgium's security alert was raised to the highest level after the attacks, and China's embassy in the capital city has told Chinese to exercise caution if they plan to visit.

Authorities in several European countries — including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland — have tightened security at airports, transportation hubs and borders.

"For Chinese tourists, Belgium is not among the most popular tourism destinations of Europe. Thus we didn't see too many cancellations of coming trips to Belgium," said Ni Jiali, general manager of outbound tourism department at the online travel-service provider Lvmama.

"However, it will dampen the enthusiasm of Chinese tourists for visiting Europe in the short term," Ni said. "The attacks have raised extraordinary safety concerns among tourists."

Ni said the tourism industry likely will bounce back after a few months if such attacks do not happen too frequently within the same country or region.

"It will take a month or two months for the tourism industry to get back to the previous level. Based on past experiences in Spain, the United Kingdom and France, the negative impact will not continue to the next year," Ni said.

The tourism industry in Europe has long been challenged by political tension and security concerns, so travel agencies have introduced their own coping mechanisms.

Ctrip, China's leading online travel service provider, created a tourism risk warning center and released its first warning this week. The center aims to provide support during natural disasters and terrorism attacks.

Yan Xin, Ctrip's publicity manager, said the center expects to release security warnings to its clients in other countries within 15 minutes of a significant event and a more detailed plan within 30 minutes.

"For those who are willing to continue their trips, we will arrange safer routes," Yan said. "For those who want to go back home immediately, we will arrange the flights and accommodations."

Those who want to cancel future booked trips will receive help to get quick refunds, Yan said.

suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn