BEIJING – Travelers from mainland China were stuck close to home in Asia during the Lunar New Year, the first holiday since Beijing eased its COVID-related border controls.
Trip.com cited flight bookings on its platform for the first four days of the Lunar New Year, saying Hong Kong and Macao were the most popular destinations. The seven-day holiday has started from Saturday.
According to Trip.com, the next three most popular overseas destinations for mainland travelers are:
3. Bangkok
4. Singapore
5. Phuket, Thailand
Flight bookings from the mainland to overseas destinations quadrupled from a year earlier during the first four days of the holiday, trip.com Told.
In late December, Beijing announced that starting on January 8 Passengers will no longer need to quarantine on arrival on the mainland, and that Chinese citizens can resume leisure travel abroad. The change ended nearly three years of border controls.
However, Japan and South Korea – Both are popular with Chinese tourists Temporary restrictions were subsequently imposed, including visa limits on travelers from China and quarantining COVID-positive individuals.
Singapore No changes have been announced While Thailand scrapped its plan to require international visitors to show proof of Covid vaccination just days after announcing it.
China has seen a wave of COVID infections after Beijing lifted most domestic COVID controls in early December. A negative COVID test is still required for travel to the mainland.
In 2019, outbound Chinese tourists spent $54.7 billion on shopping, according to Euromonitor International.