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Chinese tourists flock to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand during Lunar New Year, as overseas travel bounces back from Covid-19
- Chinese travellers flocked to tourist hotspots in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, with visitor numbers and spending in destinations exceeding pre-Covid levels
- The increase provides a welcome relief to countries whose tourism industries rely on the Chinese and their spending for growth
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Chinese travellers flocked to tourist hotspots across Asia over the Lunar New Year break, with visitor numbers and spending in destinations including Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia exceeding pre-Covid-19 levels.
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Visa-free access for Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asia countries boosted traffic and signalled a robust revival in travel since Beijing lifted strict Covid-19 restrictions in early 2023 that had all but shut China’s borders for three years.
The increase also provides a welcome relief to countries whose tourism industries rely on the Chinese and their spending for growth, although the outlook for a sustained recovery in overseas travel is overshadowed by a sluggish mainland economy and volatile financial markets that have seen consumers tighten their belts at home.
“Despite the macroeconomic headwinds, we believe Chinese citizens are still willing to spend on travel-related experiences … we think travel-related spending could continue to outpace this overall domestic consumption,” HSBC said in a research note.
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