Thailand No Longer Top Overseas Destination for Chinese Tourists
Thailand No Longer Top Overseas Destination for Chinese Tourists - Bloomberg

By Will Davies
November 23, 2020, 2:45 PM GMT+7


  • Japan and South Korea emerge as preferred spots in HSBC survey
  • Short-haul travel seen recovering faster than long-haul: HSBC


Thailand has lost its spot as the most popular cross-border destination for tourists from mainland China, according to a survey by HSBC Holdings Plc, as neighboring Japan and South Korea moved up the list.

“Barring Hong Kong and Macau, Japan and Korea emerged as the top two preferred cross-border destinations,” analyst Parash Jain wrote in a report. “This reinforces our view that short-haul travel will recover earlier than long-haul international travel.”

The survey, conducted from Oct. 28 to Nov. 2, also found flight bookings are being made further in advance than they were pre-pandemic, which could reflect greater demand for leisure travel than business.

Most survey respondents said they’d need at least six months after quarantine restrictions are relaxed to become comfortable with international travel, and an effective vaccine is key to boosting confidence, Jain said. The survey also showed people are more confident about domestic travel thanks to China’s success in containing the virus.