With a tenfold increase in international travel, more people are taking advantage of the relaxed visa policies to explore Asian destinations.
The Lunar New Year celebration is driving a tourism boost in several Asian countries, with many observing a double-digit increase in footfall. According to Trip.com, an online travel agency, there’s a 10-fold increase in international travel and among the countries, China is seeing the biggest jump in tourism numbers this year. It will be further amplified by the busiest travel day of the season, the eve of Reunion Day, which falls on February 8th.
Removing visa obligations in China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore has significantly contributed to this increase with travellers preferring short-haul trips. “Since July last year, China has announced visa-free arrangements for more than 10 countries. Countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore have seen a spike in search volume following the announcement of mutual visa exemptions. For instance, searches for Singapore tourism products increased more than 30% month-on-month shortly after the visa-free announcement between Singapore and China. Similarly, Thailand saw searches for flights and hotels rise by more than six times following the signing of the mutual visa exemption agreement on 28 January,” stated the release.
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.
Disclaimer: This Article is auto-generated from the HT news service.
