In the summer of 2024, Chinese tourists have chosen Vietnam as one of their top destinations in Asia, with Japan and Thailand taking the first and second spots.
According to data from ForwardKeys and online travel bookings reported by Bloomberg, South Korea and Japan have seen a surge in Chinese tourists after their currencies weakened against the yuan, while Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Thailand, attracted tourists by offering visa exemptions and relatively lower costs.
Specifically, the top Asian destinations for Chinese tourists in the summer of 2024, in order, are: Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Macau.
Chinese tourists at Mong Cai border gate
According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, in May, the number of Chinese tourists reached 357,000, making it the leading source of tourists for the first time in many years, surpassing South Korea (351,000 visitors), which had held the top spot for the past four years.
The return of Chinese tourists to the global travel market is being closely monitored, as their impact is crucial for the recovery of the tourism industry. Predictions about when Chinese outbound travel will return to pre-pandemic levels vary – some expect a full recovery by the end of this year, while other organizations, including Fitch Group, indicate that mainland tourists are still limiting their spending.
Booking and search data show an increase in international travel demand this summer. Trip.com Group has observed that overseas travel from China has doubled compared to the same period last year, with sales of family group bookings for overseas vacations accounting for half of the current reservations.
The World Travel & Tourism Council forecasted in early June that Chinese tourists would spend 1.8 trillion yuan (250 billion USD) on overseas travel this year, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time.
Currently, Chinese tourists have not yet returned in full numbers compared to 2019. Regional destinations for the summer from June to August are expected to recover to about 80% of 2019 levels, according to an analysis of airline ticket sales data up to June 7 by ForwardKeys.
The only two Asian countries projected to attract Chinese tourists beyond 2019 levels are Singapore, with a 15% increase, and Malaysia, with a 32% increase.
Tong Cheng Travel, an online company popular with Chinese users, reported that Asian countries implementing visa exemption policies have seen faster booking growth, with Thailand and Singapore becoming popular weekend destinations.
@Thanhnien.vn