by BEIJING — Travelers from mainland China caught near residence in Asia throughout the Lunar New Year, the first vacation after Beijing relaxed its Covid-related border controls.
Hong Kong and Macao have been the hottest spots, mentioned Trip.com, citing flight bookings on its platform for the first 4 days of the Lunar New Year. The seven-day vacation kicked off on Saturday.
Here are the subsequent three hottest overseas locations for mainland vacationers, in keeping with Trip.com:
3. Bangkok
4. Singapore
5. Phuket, Thailand
Flight bookings for journey from the mainland to overseas locations throughout the first 4 days of the vacation quadrupled from a 12 months in the past, Trip.com mentioned.
In late December, Beijing introduced that starting Jan. 8 travelers would no longer need to quarantine upon arrival on the mainland, and that Chinese residents may begin to resume leisure journey overseas. The change ended practically three years of border controls.
However, Japan and South Korea — both popular among Chinese tourists — subsequently imposed short-term restrictions on vacationers from China, together with limits on visas and quarantining Covid-positive people.
Singapore has not announced any changes, whereas Thailand scrapped its plan to require worldwide guests to point out proof of Covid vaccination, simply days after asserting it.
China has seen a wave of Covid infections after Beijing ended most home Covid controls in early December. A unfavourable Covid check remains to be required for journey to the mainland.
In 2019, Chinese outbound vacationers spent $54.7 billion on purchasing, in keeping with Euromonitor International.
