Lunar tourism a slow burner so far
A hoped-for boom in Chinese tourism in Asia over the Lunar New Year holidays looks set to be more of a blip as most travellers opt to stay inside China if they go anywhere.
From the beaches of Bali to Hokkaido’s powdery ski slopes, the hordes of Chinese often seen in preCovid days will still be missing, tour operators say.
It’s a bitter disappointment for many businesses that had been hoping lean pandemic times were over after Beijing relaxed restrictions on travel and stopped requiring weeks-long quarantines.
Still, bookings for overseas travel have skyrocketed, suggesting it’s only a matter of time until the industry recovers.
“I think the tourists will return around the end of February or early March at the earliest,” said Sisdivachr Cheewarattaporn, president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, noting that many Chinese lack passports, flights are limited and tour operators are still gearing up to handle group travel.
Covid-19 risks are another big factor as outbreaks persist following the policy about-face in China, he said. “People are possibly not ready, or just getting ready.”
For now, the Chinese territories of Macao and Hong Kong appear to be the most favoured destinations.
According to Trip.com, a major travel services company, overseas travel bookings for the January 21-27 Lunar New Year holidays were up more than five-fold.
But that was up from almost nothing the year before, when China’s borders were closed to most travellers.
Reservations for travel to Southeast Asia were up 10-fold, with Thailand a top choice, followed by Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Travel to other favourite places, like the tropical resort island of Bali and Australia, has been constrained by a lack of flights. But that is changing, with new flights being added daily.