Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are offering visa-free travel to Chinese tourists during the first Lunar New Year holidays since Beijing lifted pandemic travel restrictions. It aims to attract significant numbers of Chinese tourists, with thousands planning to travel abroad.
Chinese travelers often express dissatisfaction with the length of the visa application process and the associated inconvenience. Their passport ranks 62nd in the Henley Passport Index, which evaluates passports from 199 countries based on the number of destinations they can access without a prior visa.
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Several Chinese travelers who would otherwise have opted for Western markets or domestic destinations are now seriously considering these Southeast Asian hubs.
The three Southeast Asian markets cater to high-spending Chinese travelers who may find traveling to Western markets cumbersome due to the expense and time involved in meeting documentation requirements, as well as domestic travelers during the RMB holiday. They are trying to bring in experts who were supposed to explore tourist spots. As several countries in the region celebrate Lunar New Year, hotel chains and hospitality establishments have launched various promotions and attractive deals related to the Lunar New Year. Therefore, Chinese travelers will feel more at home.
The visa waiver is also timely, as China’s economy is slowing, affecting disposable income and potentially impacting expensive international travel.
Before the pandemic, Chinese tourists were known to be big spenders and an important source of income for most tourism markets around the world, including Southeast Asia. Chinese tourists accounted for more than a quarter of all tourists visiting Thailand in 2019. In the same year, Chinese tourists spent US$3 billion while traveling to Singapore.
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Since Thailand introduced visa-free visas in September, Chinese people have come to make up the majority of tourists visiting the country. Officials expect 177,000 Chinese tourists to visit this year for the Chinese yuan holiday. Reuters It will take some time for tourist numbers and tourism receipts to catch up to pre-pandemic levels, but tourism officials are aware of the changes.
Malaysia introduced a visa-free policy for Chinese nationals in December and aims to attract 5 million to 7 million Chinese tourists in 2024. This is double the number before the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Singapore, positioned as Asia’s air traffic hub, is leading Southeast Asian countries in attracting Chinese tourists. According to , the number of direct flights from mainland China to Singapore increased by nearly 5 percent this month compared to the same period in 2019. Reuters report. In comparison, direct flights between Malaysia and mainland China decreased by 33% from 2019 levels, and direct flights between Thailand and mainland China decreased by 17%.
Finally, from February 9, China and Singapore will implement reciprocal visa-free entry policies for their nationals, allowing them to stay for up to 30 days. Individuals who hold regular passports and travel for tourism, family visits, or business purposes will benefit from this new arrangement.
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