Chinese tourists flock to South-East Asia as overseas travel bounces back

Chinese tourists arriving in Bangkok under a five-month visa-free entry in September 2023. - Reuters file photo

BEIJING/HONG KONG: Chinese travellers flocked to tourist hot-spots across Asia over the Lunar New Year break, with visitor numbers and spending in destinations including Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia exceeding pre-Covid levels.

Visa-free access for Chinese tourists to the South-East Asia countries boosted traffic and signalled a robust revival in travel since Beijing lifted strict Covid restrictions in early 2023 that had all but shut China's borders for three years.