MK socks managing director of Global Blue Italy" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2025/2025-02-19/52828c1d-f1c6-4edd-bb2a-09b9364fafb7.jpeg" />

Stefano Rizzi, managing director of Global Blue Italy Photos: Courtesy of Global Blue Italy

Chinese tourists are returning to Italy. After a brief pause due to the pandemic and the post-pandemic period, tourists are once again flocking to the "Bel Paese," although they represent a new type of traveler compared with the recent past. They are certainly younger, as the contribution from Gen Z has tripled. 

They are also more inclined toward luxury purchases, preferring to concentrate their shopping on a few top brands. 

In terms of cities, Milan remains to be the preferred shopping destination: 44 percent of tax-free spending is concentrated in the Lombardy capital. 

This is according to a survey from Global Blue, a travel commercial partner that analyzes the evolution of the profile and purchasing behaviors of Chinese shoppers. The survey, distributed across VIP lounges in Milan, Florence and Rome, revealed that 19 percent of Chinese respondents cited shopping as a main motivation for their trip, while 31 percent declared that they would only visit Italy during their trip to Europe. Fifty-eight percent expect to find a "Chinese speaker" in boutiques, while quality is what drives them to shop in Italy. These and other data points on the main trends of the new Chinese tourist in Italy were discussed in Milan on January 22, at the first China Forum organized by Global Blue, Intarget, and the Italy China Council Foundation. 

Another privileged observatory, that of Enit, the Italian National Tourism Board, which has two offices in China (Beijing and Shanghai), confirms that 2024 was a year of growth for Chinese tourism in Italy: Unofficial data estimates there were more than 3 million arrivals, still well below the 5.4 million welcomed in 2019. 

The recovery of luxury tourism and the allure of Italian destinations are the two drivers attracting Eastern tourists to the peninsula. According to Enit, 4- and 5-star hotels in Italy are experiencing a real boom, with over 50 million arrivals and 137.5 million overnight stays just in 2023. 

The luxury segment has recorded a growth of 16 percent in arrivals and 12.3 percent in overnight stays, driven by international demand, which accounts for 54.1 percent of the total. Looking at the fastest-growing markets, China is in the lead at 380 percent, followed by South Korea at 225 percent and Australia at 134 percent. Considering only the parameter of "social media activity," Italy ranks first among European destinations and fourth overall, even surpassing Thailand, which has traditionally topped the travel choices for Chinese tourists. 

For this reason, Enit and WeChat, the absolute leading digital platform in the Chinese market, have signed a strategic agreement to exponentially increase the visibility of promotional content dedicated to Italy. 

"The Chinese tourist, who before the pandemic was the top spender with regard to tax-free purchases in Italy, with one of the highest average receipts, is back on the podium," revealed Stefano Rizzi, managing director of Global Blue Italy. Between September and November 2024, they accounted for 11 percent of total tax-free spending, second only to Americans at 26 percent. "However, we have not yet managed to recover the levels of 2019, and we hope that will happen this year," said Rizzi. 

Consumers go shopping in Milan.

During the same period, in Italy, the recovery of spending compared to 2019 reached 56 percent, with an average receipt of 1,576 euros, up 27 percent, thanks to the significant contribution of the Chinese Golden Week in October 2024, which recorded a 24 percent increase in spending by Chinese tourists compared with the 2023 edition. 

Visas to Italy have really only been unlocked in the last six months, while organized groups, which significantly impacted shopping dynamics, are still struggling to return. 

The good news is that direct connections with China have increased compared with 2019, and the cost of travel is beginning to decrease.