ChinaOutbound Daily: Korea, Finland, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Paris

Editor’s note: We’ve recently started a new daily roundup of news affecting outbound business, for countries trying to attract Chinese travelers. Follow all news from ChinaOB Daily, here.

• Chinese tourists favor holidays in Korea over Japan: Statistics from the Korea Tourism Organization shows that about 2.83 million Chinese tourists went to the ROK in 2012, an increase of 28 percent from 2011.vThe organization predicts that the number could reach 3.2 million this year.
• Finland taps its Polar forces to woo Asians: Japan has become the top Asian source market for Finland, which welcomed 176,936 Japanese tourists in 2012…At the same time, China has rapidly emerged as a source market for this Nordic nation too. Last year, Chinese arrivals reached 100,075, up 8.7 per cent from 92,099 in 2011.
• Nepal scales up tourism offerings for Chinese visitors: Nepal has registered blistering 36 per cent growth in Chinese visitorship as the country steps up efforts to woo this market. Chinese arrivals numbered 14,700 this quarter and 85,832 in 2012….average length of stay for Chinese tourists is 10 days.
• Zimbabwe tries to woo Chinese tourists with relaxed rules: The country plans to aggressively promote its tourism to Chinese tourists, relax visa restrictions, and boost air connectivity to grab a bigger share of the world’s largest outbound tourist market, the country’s tourism chief said.
• Chinese tourists targeted by Paris pickpockets [Video]: With pickpocketing and other petty crime on the increase in Paris, analysts say that Chinese tourists are being singled out for special attention. And with some half a million of them visiting the French capital every year, Paris authorities are taking the problem seriously.