Zero-Covid over, Chinese travellers swing into overseas holiday mode
- Tourist visa applications for Singapore and Malaysia skyrocket, travel firm says
- Thailand prepares for influx of holidaymakers from newly opened China
Chinese travel booking platform Ctrip said on Sunday that applications via its site for tourist visas for Singapore had risen “to over 30 times since December 27”.
Requests for Malaysian tourist visas had also doubled already this month compared with December, the company said, adding that almost half of hotel bookings for Chinese tourists going to Thailand were for stays of more than 20 days.
Malaysian Association of Tours and Travel Agents president Datuk Tan Kok Liang told English-language daily The Star that inquiries from China tourists, especially from students and corporate organisers, had “more than doubled compared to before the reopening of China’s borders”.
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WHO says China under-representing real impact of its latest Covid-19 surge
China was the world’s most important source of international travellers before the pandemic hit and although the global industry might not resume pre-Covid levels soon, Chinese tourists are expected to give it a boost this year.