Published date: February 9, 2024 09:42
Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan province will welcome a flood of tourists on Tuesday. (Photo: Somchai Phumrad)
SINGAPORE/BANGKOK – Chinese engineer and aviation enthusiast Wei Ming is exactly the kind of visitor Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand tourism authorities are looking for.
Mr Wei, 44, said he had scrapped plans to go to Australia and booked a six-day holiday there instead after Singapore abolished visas for Chinese nationals. He said he considered visiting Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, two other visa-free Southeast Asian countries, but chose the city-state because of the Singapore Air Show, which opens to the public on February 24.
Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia offer unprecedented visa restrictions as thousands of Chinese prepare to travel abroad for the first Spring Festival holiday since the Chinese government lifted coronavirus pandemic travel restrictions last year The hope is that the exemption will attract a large portion of these tourists and provide much-needed spending. .
Chinese travelers often complain about the time and hassle it takes to obtain a travel visa, and a Chinese passport can hold passports from 199 countries depending on the number of destinations the holder can access without a passport. It is ranked 62nd in the Henry Passport Index. advance visa.
Analysts say visa waivers could make the destination more attractive, but China’s slow economic growth, job uncertainty and declining incomes are likely to dampen international travel this year.
John Grant, principal analyst at the travel data firm, said: “There is a sense that economic hardship and lack of disposable income are having a much more severe impact than in other parts of the world, making travel more expensive.” “It remains in China, where it is cheap.” OAG added that the three Southeast Asian countries “may be seeking information piecemeal.”
big spender
Before the coronavirus pandemic, Chinese tourists were an important source of income, accounting for more than a quarter of all holidaymakers to Thailand in 2019. Chinese tourists were also the biggest spenders in Singapore, spending more than S$4 billion (US$3). Billion) same year.
Although fewer Chinese people are traveling than before the pandemic, the majority of travelers to Thailand, which began offering visa exemptions in September, are Chinese, and Thai tourism officials say they will be traveling for more than three days over the Lunar New Year holiday. It said 177,000 Chinese tourists are expected. double the 2023 level.
Chattan Kunjara Na Ayudhya, deputy governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), said, “Since the visa-free program, the direction is good.” “We’re starting to get back to pre-pandemic levels.”
Malaysia’s visa-free deal for Chinese nationals began in December and the country hopes to attract 5 million to 7 million Chinese tourists this year, almost double the pre-pandemic number.
In the run-up to Lunar New Year, hotels, including those under the Ascott Limited Group, will launch promotions including discounts, special activities and refreshments for the festival.
Its status as Asia’s air traffic hub has put Singapore ahead of its Southeast Asian rivals in influx of Chinese tourists, with the number of direct flights connecting mainland China increasing by 5 this month compared to the same month in 2019. increased by nearly %.
Direct flights between Malaysia and Thailand remain significantly lower, down 33% and 17% respectively compared to 2019 levels, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.