Asia Prepares For Tourism Boost As China Eases COVID Rules

Asian countries are preparing for an expected spike in Chinese tourists as COVID restrictions ease. 

The Chinese government announced that Chinese tourists no longer need to quarantine once they get home starting January 8, which prompted a surge in bookings from the world’s largest outbound travel market in 2019.

Chinese tourists contributed $255 billion a year in global spending, which halted during the pandemic, affecting Asian markets dependent on Chinese foreign visitors such as Thailand and Japan.

VariFlight data showed that International flights to and from China are currently at 8% but are expected to increase capacity as authorities ease COVID-driven limits on the number of flights.

“There is little doubt mainland Chinese are the spark plug for Thailand’s tourism recovery,” said Bill Barnett, managing director of hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks. “It’s not a question of if it will happen – it is now just a matter of how many and how fast.”

Airlines in Malaysia and Vietnam said they hope to restore China flights to pre-pandemic levels by June 2023, while Singapore Airlines and Australia’s Qantas Airways have not provided their targets as the situation progresses.

The news of the rise in Chinese tourists flocking to shopping streets also boosted luxury stocks as China accounts for 21% of the world’s €350 billion ($371.91 billion) luxury goods market.

As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches, companies in Singapore are creating Lunar New Year package offers aimed at Chinese visitors as they expect the travel rebound to come “with a vengeance.”

Other countries, such as Japan and the United States, will require COVID-19 testing due to the rapid spread of the virus in China. Similarly, India, Italy, and Taiwan will adopt new measures, while the Philippines is considering a testing requirement.

Meanwhile, Australia, Germany, Thailand, and other countries said they would not impose additional rules on Chinese travel yet. France emphasized through social media platforms that it welcomes Chinese friends “with open arms.”

A massive travel rebound of Chinese visitors to Australia during the Lunar New Year holiday is highly unlikely due to high airfare rates, according to James Shen, general manager of Melbourne-based tour agency Odyssey Travel.

“There are still very few flights, and they would be booking very last minute,” Shen said. “I suspect any meaningful rebound will have to wait until the travel boom in June or July next year.”

Source: Inquirer.net