The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the Civil Aeronautics of Colombia have started conversations with the aim of implementing direct air connections between both countries. During the ICAO Global Facilitation Forum held in Bogotá this week, representatives of both authorities highlighted the importance of creating a route that connects Beijing and the Colombian capitalwhich could be done directly or with a single scale.
This approach was promoted after the visit of the president Gustavo Petro and the chancellor Luis Gilberto Murillo to China, where the first steps of a roadmap to finalize the air connection. According to Sergio Paris Mendozadirector of Aerocivil, the goal is to facilitate a faster and more direct option between Asia and Latin America, improving connectivity for passengers from both countries.
China It is one of the main sources of tourists worldwide, with 155 million international travelers in 2019according to the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In 2019, 18,078 Chinese tourists visited Colombiawhich represented an interannual growth of 15.4%, positioning it as the sixth country in South America with the highest income. These tourists are mainly inclined towards recreational and vacation activities, in addition to business trips, and have popular destinations as Bogotá, Cartagena, Medellín and Barranquilla.
Tourism from China returns to Latin America & the Caribbean
By 2024, Chinese outbound tourism is expected to reach 73% of the volume registered in 2019, as stated to the media Xiinhua Andres Rodriguezdirector of Dragon Trail. “The recovery has been slower than expected, but 2024 is proving to be the true year of the rebound in Chinese outbound tourism, a much more encouraging number compared to the previous year,” it needs Rodriguez.
This rebound reflects the gradual recovery of international connections to China and the return of several airlines to the Latin American market since the second half of 2024. A distant market, but one that represents one of the largest flows of tourists in the region, which is usually captured by Turkish Airlines, KLM, Air France, Emirates, Qatar Airways or Ethiopian Airlines.
Destination network between Mainland China and Latin America.
In April 2024, São Paulo/Guarulhos (GRU) It recovered its regular Air China flights via Madrid, which will later increase for the southern summer season. In the Caribbean, Air China returned to Havana since the middle of the year with a stopover in Spain, leaving Panama City as the only destination that has not recovered in the region.
On the other hand, China Southern resumed his service towards Mexico City y Hainan Airlines also returned to the Aztec country, both operating via Tijuana (IJ). It is also expected that Junyao Air becomes the third company in Mexico, after receiving authorization from the CAAC. The North American country is the main source market for Chinese tourists in Latin America & the Caribbean with an average of 160 thousand tourists annually.
Finally, China Eastern Airlines It has approval from the Civil Administration of China (CAAC) to operate to Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), Argentina, with a stopover in Spain.
