China’s Golden Week: Shoppers in Prague Stores Will Increase By Up to 70%

Prague’s retailers can look forward to significantly higher sales to Chinese shoppers as the National Day of the People’s Republic of China on October 1 kicks-off the Golden Week of holidays.

Some 705 million Chinese are expected to travel during this time, with 6 million going abroad. Fashion Arena Prague Outlet, the most well-known outlet center in the country, expects a 75% increase in the number of Chinese customers during the Golden Week compared to the norm. Last year, Chinese citizens spent CZK 1.9 trillion on travel during the Golden Week. 

Every Other Chinese Citizen Plans a Trip 

Currently, China has a population of 1.4 billion and remains the most populous country in the world. If there are several national holidays strung together in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), hundreds of millions of people take the opportunity to travel, the effects of which are felt far beyond the country’s borders.

The Golden Week is a popular time for vacations outside China and according to a China National Tourism Administration report, 705 million Chinese took a longer trip at this time. “The higher-earning classes of Chinese that visit Europe enjoy our culture and fashion. Fashion Arena Prague Outlet has recorded significantly higher visits by Chinese nationals and that of course increases during the Golden Week. This year we expect their numbers during this time to grow by up to 70% over other weeks,” said Fashion Arena Prague Outlet Tourism Business Development Manager Petr Křivonožka, adding: “We undertook a specially-targeted marketing campaign focusing on tourists arriving from China in connection with the upcoming Golden Week. We are experimenting with the key Asian counterpart to Facebook, which is called WeChat, to communicate with the target audience. Twenty brands have presented special offers attractive to Chinese clientele, but the most popular are ecco or Swarovski, for example.”

Sales Totaling CZK 4.9 Trillion, Travel for CZK 1.9 Trillion

Forbes calculated that Chinese expenditures during the Golden Week reached a record CNY 1.5 trillion in 2017 after rising 10.3% year-on-year, the equivalent of CZK 4.9 trillion. Another CNY 584 billion (CZK 1.9 trillion) was spent on travel during the Golden Week. 

Number of Chinese Tourist Growing Rapidly

According to the Czech Statistical Office, 185,000 Chinese nationals took accommodations in the Czech Republic last year, which is an impressive 27.8% more than in 2016, the biggest increase among all nationalities. The growing interest in the Czech Republic is associated with greater accessibility. “The Prague airport currently offers flights to four destinations in China: Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, and  Chengdu. Connections are operated by three airlines:  Hainan Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines. Altogether, there are now nine flights per week between Prague and China,” said Roman Pacvoň, press spokesman for Letiště Praha, a.s., the company that operates Václav Havel Airport Prague. 

Prague’s popularity among Chinese tourists is also growing because of a popular Chinese TV series set in the pre-WWII period with much of the shooting done in the Czech capital. 

Chinese Golden Week: A Celebration of the Country’s Founding

The Golden Week is a holiday that follows Chinese National Day on October 1. The Golden Week is mostly known for many Chinese taking the week to travel. Hundreds of millions use the time to visit their relatives or go to far-flung destinations. Travel companies, hotels, travel insurance providers, and retailers all experience a bump in revenue during the Golden Week, both inside China and beyond abroad. 

Author: red