Lunar New Year celebrations are boosting tourism in many Asian countries, with many countries seeing double-digit growth in tourist numbers. According to online travel agency Trip.com, international travel has increased 10-fold and among countries, China is seeing the biggest jump in tourism numbers this year. This will be further enhanced by the busiest travel day of the season, the eve of Reunion Day, which falls on 8 February.
The removal of visa obligations in China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore has significantly contributed to this growth and travelers are preferring short-haul travel. “Since July last year, China has announced visa-free arrangements for more than 10 countries. Countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have seen an increase in search volume after announcing reciprocal visa exemptions. For example, searches for Singapore tourism products increased by more than 30% month-on-month immediately following the visa-free announcement between Singapore and China. Similarly, searches for flights and hotels in Thailand witnessed an increase of more than six times after the signing of the Reciprocal Visa Exemption Agreement on January 28,” the release said.
While Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea are emerging as popular choices, countries including Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam are expecting unprecedented footfall during the festive season.
