April 1, 2024
HONG KONG – An influx of Chinese travelers in the past few months has enabled Southeast Asia’s tourism industry to recover from the pandemic-induced slump, analysts say.
While China has long been one of the key travel markets for members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, decisions made by Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand last year to waive entry requirements for Chinese tourists bolstered tourism receipts in the first two months of this year.
Visa-free access for Chinese tourists is a “facilitating factor” in boosting ASEAN tourism industry receipts, said John Paolo Rivera, associate director of the Dr Andrew L. Tan Center for Tourism at the Asian Institute of Management in the Philippines.
Chinese tourists are the biggest spenders among travelers in Southeast Asia, Rivera said.
“Alongside the volume of Chinese tourists, the Chinese spending habit has driven consumption spending and the tourism contribution…
