Chinese given EU travel boost

Last updated at 14:12 28 October 2003


Europe's top holiday destinations could soon be experiencing a flood of tourists from China via an agreement between Belgium and Beijing that makes group tours easier to operate.

Chinese leaders, alongside the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the EC President Romano Prodi will sign an agreement that will give EU states 'approved destination status' as part of the Schengen cross-border travel agreement.

As a result, Chinese travellers will be able to gain visas for European travel much more easily.

Visitors from the Far East country have ballooned in the last few years, with around 645,000 Chinese holidaying in Europe last year, although visas have remained difficult to attain.

Klaus Ebermann, head of the EU delegation in China, described the long-awaited agreement as offering 'enormous potential for growth'.

Until now Germany had been the only EU country to be granted 'approval'. Travellers to Germany from China were up 12 per cent last year, as a direct result of the country's status.

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