Chinese tourism in Europe: the determinants of destination competitiveness

The exponential increase in the arrivals of Chinese tourists in European countries has become a trend that merits further study. This article initiates an exploratory spatial analysis of the evolution of this touristic phenomenon. The countries considered (cf. Table 1) are European with those bordering such as Turkey and those belonging to the former Soviet Union. Our study aims to determine if neighbouring countries have an influence on the arrivals of tourists. We further question if there is a spatial autocorrelation and, in taking into account any temporal component, we also consider the spatial dynamics.