On February 9, 2023, outbound passengers queued to check in at Yantai Penglai International Airport in Yantai City, Shandong Province, China.
VCG | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Tourism in the Asia-Pacific region is growing strongly, and flight demand this year will reach pre-pandemic levels thanks to Chinese tourists.
According to data from the region, tourism demand in the region improved to nearly 83% of 2019 levels in December 2023, compared with just 57% in January. International Air Transport Association. These numbers will improve.
“The current environment remains positive for most airlines,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Asia” on Tuesday. He added, Demand is “somewhat short” of pre-pandemic levels, which is expected to be reached this year.
Experts believe Chinese tourists will drive this demand, especially as they visit Southeast Asian destinations in the wider region.
James Sullivan, head of Asia-Pacific equity research at JPMorgan Chase, said that travel demand from Chinese tourists to Southeast Asia grew significantly in January.
“Tourist arrivals from other countries in the region remain strong, but from an incremental traffic perspective, we believe ASEAN will be a net beneficiary,” Sullivan noted.
Citi research shows that during the Lunar New Year holiday from February 10 to 17, the total number of Chinese outbound tourists reached 3.6 million, most of which went to ASEAN countries. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia are among their top ten destinations.
Outside the Asia-Pacific region, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Australia are popular holiday destinations for Chinese tourists.
More Chinese residents traveled abroad during the Lunar New Year this year than in 2023, according to travel analytics company Cirium.
Thailand welcomed the largest number of Chinese tourists during this period, with flight bookings quadrupling to 149,159 this year from 35,094 during last year’s Lunar New Year period.
The number of flight bookings from China to Singapore has surged from 10,873 flights in 2023 to 64,469 flights this year, an increase of nearly 6 times.
June Lee, director of marketing at Cirium, said: “Visa exemption initiatives launched in recent months may be a factor driving this trend, with Thailand waiving visa requirements and Singapore offering 30 days of visa-free travel for Chinese citizens.”
Flights from China to Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand are expected to increase by 87% from March to June compared with the same period last year, she added.
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