Current location:Culture Channels news portal > style
ASEAN tourism reaps Spring Festival gains
Culture Channels news portal2024-04-30 12:40:00【style】0People have gathered around
IntroductionSoutheast Asia has become one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travelers during the rece
Southeast Asia has become one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travelers during the recent Chinese New Year holiday, offering further proof that the country's outbound tourism is recovering strongly.
Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam were among the top 10 most popular destinations for outbound travel during the Chinese New Year holiday, according to data from Chinese online travel platform Trip.com.
The eight-day holiday that began on Feb 10 also marks the country's first travel rush of the year, with the National Immigration Administration saying that more than 13.5 million inbound and outbound trips were recorded during the holiday season.
"As China implements a visa-free policy for a larger circle of friends, the country sees its inbound and outbound travels soar, with more Chinese tourists going abroad and more foreign travelers visiting China," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Monday.
"Spring Festival became the peak time of global tourism," said Mao at a daily news conference.
Thailand welcomed nearly 880,000 foreign visitors between Feb 5 and 11, according to the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
There was a significant surge in arrivals from East Asia and Southeast Asia, especially the Chinese mainland, Malaysia, Singapore, and South Korea.
Of those regions, China ranked top for foreign tourists during the Spring Festival with nearly 200,000 visitors — an increase of 38 percent compared with the previous week.
The visa exemption policy for visitors from China, India and Kazakhstan, and the increased frequency of flights are greatly supporting the Thai tourism industry, Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Sudawan Wangsuphakitkoson told a recent news conference.
China and Thailand signed an agreement on mutual visa exemption for holders of ordinary passports and passports for public affairs last month. The policy will come into effect on March 1 and is expected to boost people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Visa-free policy hailed
Pinit Jarusombat, president of the Thai-Chinese Cultural Relationship Council, said the visa-free policy will stimulate tourism and further strengthen bilateral ties between China and Thailand.
"Thailand is one of the most popular destinations among the Chinese as the two nations have close cultural bonds. Also, Thailand is a hub for investment and education in the ASEAN region," he said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc.
According to local media, Chinese tourists spend at least 20,000 yuan ($2,780) per person on average during trips to Thailand. This revenue has contributed to businesses at various levels.
Thailand is awaiting a boom in visitors during Songkran — the water festival that falls in April and marks the beginning of the traditional Thai New Year.
After implementing a visa-free policy for Chinese travelers last December, Malaysia saw a total of more than 100,000 Chinese tourists during the Spring Festival holiday, a 50 percent increase compared to the same period last year, Sin Chew Daily reported on Sunday.
Local tour operators estimated that these tourists spent between 1 billion ($208.59 million) and 1.5 billion ringgit in the country.
Though it is not an official holiday in Cambodia, the Chinese New Year is broadly celebrated in the kingdom and more than 1 million domestic and foreign tourists visited Cambodia during Spring Festival celebrations, according to Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism.
Top Sopheak, secretary of state and spokesman of Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism, said he believed that the number of Chinese visitors during the festival was on the rise as there were many bookings of flights and tour guides from Chinese holidaymakers.
Cheng Mingming, professor of digital marketing at Curtin University in Australia, said lower travel costs compared with long-haul destinations and visa-free or visa-on-arrival arrangements have made Southeast Asia more attractive during the holiday.
"Social media, in particular, is playing a very crucial role for the young generations," said Cheng, adding that many Chinese tourists in Southeast Asia are individual travelers and often use social media platforms to gather "authentic" travel-related information shared by other travelers instead of checking official tourism websites.
Noting that Southeast Asia has been a popular destination for Chinese travelers long before the COVID-19 pandemic, Cheng said he expects Southeast Asia to remain among the most popular destinations for Chinese outbound tourists, together with the Maldives, Japan, and South Korea.
Address of this article:http://reunion.whetstonetavern.com/article-30d199957.html
Very good!(715)
Related articles
- Inside Kate Middleton and Prince William's 13
- Ivy Getty takes the plunge in sheer gown as she parties with Emily Ratajkowski and Nicky Hilton
- Travis Kelce reveals his Chiefs teammate and soon
- Report: China is exporting digital control methods — Radio Free Asia
- Why International Criminal Court has Israeli officials worried
- Canisius hires Penn State assistant Tiffany Swoffard to take over women's basketball program
- Korda chases fifth straight victory to tie LPGA record in Chevron Championship
- Uber is helping investigators look into account that sent driver to Ohio home where she was killed
- Deepfake of principal's voice is the latest case of AI being used for harm
- China expels teacher for pushing for students to use Tibetan language — Radio Free Asia
Popular articles
Recommended
Billie Eilish announces 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' arena world tour
South Carolina Republicans reject 2018 Democratic governor nominee's bid to be judge
Capitals top prospect Ryan Leonard is returning to Boston College
Despite security risks, plans to open Paris Olympics on River Seine remain unchanged and on track
Billie Eilish announces 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' arena world tour
Hush money trial: Trump's lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside Brooklyn bar
Bizarre $1,000 ballet flat sneakers take the fashion world by storm
Former Michigan center Tarris Reed Jr. announces he is transferring to UConn
Links
- Xi Focus: Xi's 2024 New Year Message Highlights Confidence, People, Global Vision
- World Insights: WTO members confront U.S. abuse of security exception for protectionist purpose
- Rescue underway after earthquake hits Syria
- Chinese FM meets Russian ambassador to China
- IAEA board to hold meeting over Zaporizhzhia attacks
- Shanghai Port remains world's busiest with record throughput in 2023
- IAEA board to hold meeting over Zaporizhzhia attacks
- The Latest: UN chief calls for restraint after Iran's retaliatory attacks on Israel
- Convention on the Law of the Sea more relevant than ever: UN chief
- U.S. Summit for Democracy fans flame of confrontation to tumultuate world