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Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative is quietly transforming holiday hotspots from the Maldives to Montenegro, reshaping destinations while opening the door to potential new geopolitical tensions. Olivia Palamountain reports
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is expanding Beijing’s influence across popular holiday destinations, backed by the economic clout of Chinese tourists who represent the world’s most powerful tourism market.
Launched in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative is China’s trillion-dollar infrastructure strategy connecting Asia, Europe and Africa through railways, ports, airports and energy projects across more than 140 countries.
While Beijing promotes it as boosting global trade and development, critics warn of “debt trap diplomacy” where countries become financially dependent on China, potentially allowing Beijing to seize strategic assets when loans cannot be repaid.The Maldives exemplifies this phenomenon. While British travellers see luxury resort islands, the destination has become a geopolitical flashpoint between China and India. Chinese funding upgraded Velana International Airport – the arrival point for virtually every tourist – and financed a bridge connecting the airport to capital Malé.
“India has traditionally been very concerned about Chinese investment along the coast of the Indian Ocean,” Jacob Gunther from Germany’s MERICS think tank tells The Telegraph. “However, the investments in the Maldives have been particularly contentious, as they’re right in the middle of the ocean itself.”
Analysts worry countries risk becoming financially dependent on China, potentially allowing Beijing to seize assets when debts cannot be repaid – as happened with Sri Lanka’s port after the country defaulted.
Chinese state-backed enterprises have established footholds from Southeast Asia to the Adriatic. In Cambodia, investment transformed beach town Sihanoukville into a landscape of casino resorts and unfinished skyscrapers, whilst US$1.1 billion built a state-of-the-art airport near Angkor Wat. Sub-Saharan Africa has received more than US$20 billion in recent Belt and Road investment, whilst the Caribbean has attracted more than US$9 billion.
In Montenegro, China is constructing a motorway connecting coastal towns whilst investing in hotels. “China has an interest in some of the Balkan countries like Montenegro as it regards them as future EU states and thus a potential route for influence in future European decision-making,” Vladimir Shopov from the European Council on Foreign Relations tells The Telegraph.
The infrastructure investment aligns with growing Chinese tourism power. China is on track to become the highest-spending leisure travel country, with domestic, regional and international spending growing by 10%, 11% and 11% annually respectively.
Chinese tourists spend an average of US$3,000 per international trip – significantly higher than most nationalities. They account for 30% of global luxury market sales, with shopping comprising half their travel budgets.
While the global leisure travel industry is poised for explosive growth, with spending expected to triple from US$5 trillion in 2024 to US$15 trillion by 2040 (Boston Consulting Group), the surge will be driven primarily by China’s burgeoning middle class, where younger generations – millennials and Gen Z – are leading the charge, embracing digital technologies and seeking experiences over material possessions.
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