Chinese tourists remain hesitant to spend money on overseas travel, impacting Southeast Asia's economic recovery.
Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore all saw lower-than-expected visitor numbers due to China's slow post-pandemic economic recovery, which made people hesitant to travel internationally.
Thailand, one of the most tourism-dependent economies in the region, is benefiting from the post-pandemic tourism recovery. However, the number of Chinese tourists is expected to be at least two million lower than the target of 7 million this year.
Chinese tourists visit Tibet in July. Due to the slow economic recovery, people are more hesitant to spend money on international travel. Photo: Xinhua
According to brokerage firm PT Bahana Sekuritas, Bali, a destination for most international tourists visiting Indonesia, saw a decline in luxury hotel bookings during the first five months of the year due to lower numbers of Chinese tourists.
Singapore, a country that has seen a tourism boom, also witnessed disappointing figures. The number of Chinese visitors in the first five months of the year reached just over 310,000, only one-fifth of the 1.55 million recorded during the same period in 2019, according to data from the country's Tourism Board.
It's not just Southeast Asia; Japan is witnessing a similar trend. However, this Northeast Asian nation is now seeing a new group of shoppers replacing those from mainland China.
Retail giant Takashimaya reported that non-Chinese tourists accounted for nearly 70% of total tourist revenue from March to May, more than tripling pre-pandemic levels. This trend could prompt some countries in the region to consider diversifying their target markets, particularly those relying on Chinese tourists to boost their tourism revenue.
Qiu, an employee of a travel company based in Guangzhou, China, confirmed that summer tours to Southeast Asia "have not improved significantly." The most popular destinations, such as Singapore and Malaysia, have only reached 30% of pre-pandemic levels, while Thailand is at 10%.
Slow growth in flight capacity in China is also hindering the recovery of the tourism industry. According to Eric Zhu from Bloomberg, the lack of group tours is also contributing to the slow pace of recovery. In the first quarter, only 1.6% of Chinese people traveled abroad on organized tours, down from 30% in the same period of 2019, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Nevertheless, industry observers remain optimistic about the Chinese tourist market. The Singapore Tourism Board still "expects continued growth in Chinese tourist numbers".
"China has just reopened. I expect that the number of Chinese tourists will improve in the second half of this year," said Selena Ling, chief economist at OCBC Bank.
( By Anh Minh , according to SCMP )
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