Several Asian and European countries are expected to see a surge in Chinese visitors during the Lunar New Year holiday.
Celebrations of Year of the Dragon started on February 10 this year and will last 15 days, VisaGuide.World reports.
Apart from international traveling, Chinese citizens are expected to record nine billion domestic trips during this holiday, as reported by Travel Tomorrow.
Regarding international trips, between 200,000 and 250,000 Chinese tourists are forecasted to visit Thailand, as revealed by Chanapan Kaewklachaiyawuth, vice president of the Thai Chinese Tourism Alliance Association. Such a figure surpasses 2023 levels by three times.
Furthermore, Thailand expects to welcome 75 per cent of the number of Chinese tourists it had in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, authorities in Vietnam have reported an increased number of arrivals from China.
Inbound and outbound tourists have been surging recently because of the Spring Festival, the number reaching a maximum of nearly 25,000 in a single day.
Airlines Expanded Routes for Lunar New Year Travel Season
Several airlines have added more routes during this holiday period in response to this increased demand. China Eastern Airlines expanded its network with 15 new international routes, mainly to Southeast Asia island destinations.
During Chinese New Year, this airline will operate 2,322 round-trip flights between various Chinese airports, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Bangkok.
China Eastern has also expanded flights to some of most popular routes between Shanghai and Sydney, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and the Maldives.
In addition to Asian destinations, Europe is expected to welcome more Chinese tourists, according to Hainan Airlines’ Berlin office. Due to this holiday, the airline saw an increased passenger rate of Beijing to Berlin flights in February compared to the previous month, as reported by Xinhua, the Chinese state media agency.
At present, direct flights from Beijing to Berlin by Hainan Airlines have reached the pre-pandemic levels, with three weekly flights throughout the winter-spring season. Moreover, the airline plans to expand its network further with two additional weekly flights starting in April due to over 80 per cent seat occupancy rate in February.
Overall, the number of Chinese tourists worldwide has been increasing, with some destinations reaching the pre-pandemic figures. Last year, the number of Chinese visitors in London returned to 2019 levels, although tourists spent 58 percent less than before the pandemic.
Meanwhile, several countries last year have eased travel restrictions for Chinese travelers in a bid to promote tourism in their countries. Last October, Tunisia removed visa restrictions for citizens of China wishing to visit the country for tourism purposes.
Recently, the Kurdistan Region has granted visa-free travel for citizens of 53 countries worldwide, including Chinese nationals.