Chinese travelers flocked to tourist hot-spots across Asia over the Lunar New Year break, with visitor numbers and spending in destinations including Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia exceeding pre-COVID levels.
Visa-free access for Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asia countries boosted traffic and signaled a robust revival in travel since Beijing lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in early 2023 that had all but shut China's borders for three years.
The increase provides welcome relief to countries that rely on the Chinese and their spending, although the outlook for a sustained recovery in overseas travel is overshadowed by a sluggish mainland economy and volatile markets that have seen consumers tighten their belts at home.