BANGKOK (AP) — A hoped-for boom in Chinese tourism in Asia over next week’s Lunar New Year holidays looks set to be more of a blip as most travelers opt to stay inside China if they go anywhere.
From the beaches of Bali to Hokkaido’s powdery ski slopes, the hoards of Chinese often seen in pre-COVID days will still be missing, tour operators say.
It’s a bitter disappointment for many businesses that had been hoping lean pandemic times were over after Beijing relaxed restrictions on travel and stopped requiring weeks’ long quarantines. Still, bookings for overseas travel have skyrocketed, suggesting it’s only a matter of time until the industry recovers.
“I think the tourists will return around the end of February or early March at the earliest,” said Sisdivachr Cheewarattaporn, the president of the Thai Travel Agents Association, noting that many…
