El destino de sol y playa en España para el turismo chino: una perla oculta aún por descubrir

Abstract

Spain is listed among the top tourist destinations in the world, and its beautiful coastlines and beaches have long been regarded as one of its most significant tourist resources, attracting millions of tourists from around the world every year. However, these popular attractions seem to be ignored by Chinese tourists, despite the considerable rise in Chinese tourist numbers over the past decade. The aim of this article is to account for the under-representation of visitors from China in Spain and to identify strategies to promote Spanish beach tourism among this demographic. Based on an analysis of the tourist products offered by Chinese tourist agencies and a survey of Chinese tourist behaviours and motivations, the results reveal that Chinese tourists do not dislike beach tourism, but do lack information about and awareness of beach tourism products in Spain. The article concludes with a series of practical proposals for cooperation within the industry to improve facilities and services, and well-designed marketing campaigns to harness the full potential of Spanish coastal tourist destinations and open them up to the growing Chinese outbound tourism market.