Thailand and Japan are the top destinations for Chinese tourist travelling abroad this summer, as the world’s largest travel market seeks value-for-money trips. Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin started his push to lure more arrivals from China in September.
South Korea and Japan have already seen an increase in Chinese tourists after their currencies weakened against the yuan, while Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia and Thailand entice tourists with visa-free entry and lower costs, according to Cirium seat capacity data, ForwardKeys flight ticketing analysis, and online travel site bookings.
The return of Chinese tourists to the global travel market is keenly monitored, as their numbers and spending are critical to the tourism industry’s revival. Forecasts on when Chinese foreign travels will return to pre-pandemic levels differ — some predict a full recovery by the end of this year, while others, including Fitch Group, say mainland tourists are still limiting their spending.
Bookings and search statistics indicate that demand for overseas travel has surged this summer. Trip.com expects outbound travel from China to double year on year, with family group sales accounting for half of current bookings.
The World Travel and Tourism Council predicted earlier this month that Chinese tourists will spend 1.8 trillion yuan ($250 billion) on international travels this year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time, the Japan Times reports.
Chinese Tourism Numbers Down
For the time being, Chinese visitors have not returned in large numbers as they did in 2019. According to ForwardKeys’ flight ticketing study as of June 7, regional destinations will recover to roughly 80% of 2019 levels for the June to August summer season.
According to ForwardKeys, the only two Asian countries predicted to exceed current 2019 levels are Singapore (15%) and Malaysia (32%).
Asian countries that have enacted visa-free rules have witnessed a surge in bookings, with Thailand and Singapore becoming popular weekend getaways, according to Tongcheng Travel, a famous Chinese online firm.
Bella Huang, a 27-year-old Jiangsu teacher, is planning a trip to Thailand with two companions in August to take advantage of the eased visa restrictions. She is a big admirer of Thai television, and this will be her first and only international vacation of the year. Her travel budget is approximately 8,000 yuan. She didn’t even consider going to Europe this year since she felt acquiring a visa might be tough.
China’s Belt and Road Initiative travel
Other European locations are likely to rise, with Belgium, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Italy topping the list of popular countries, according to Cirium and Trip.com.
Chinese Tourists on longer flights to Europe are likewise more likely to want to fly in comfort. Travellers to Rome, London, Milan, Madrid, Brussels, and Barcelona are spending more on premium tickets than in 2019, despite the fact that most European destinations in economy class have yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
“We have observed a promising upswing in premium and business travel,” said Nan Dai, ForwardKeys’ China market analyst.
Other destinations anticipated to outperform 2019 levels show signs of geopolitical influence. According to Cirium, the nations most likely to see a rise in Chinese travel include Turkey, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. They are all part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
Visitors to Hungary are likely to increase as airline capacity expands sixfold — the largest expansion of any country — albeit from a low base.
“A lot of these countries are feeling a lot of love for China,” said Mark Tanner, general director of Shanghai-based marketing company China Skinny. “They are much more China friendly, which is adding to the appeal.”
Source: Japan Times