Boosted by tourists from mainland China, Macau showed a recovery close to 90% in August as well as close to 17% month-on-month growth.

Japan and Vietnam also reached a healthy recovery rate of over 80% in the same month. Taiwan continued to struggle facing a slow recovery due to the lack of tourists from mainland China, despite 8.7% month-on-month growth.

Tourism News in Asia Pacific

Hong Kong SAR

Hong Kong recorded over 4 million visitors in August 2023, approximately 69% of the figure in 2018, or a 13.6% month-on-month growth. Mainland China, which accounted for 84% of the total visitors, remained the largest feeder market, followed by Macau SAR and Taiwan.

Amid the return of visitors, hotel occupancy and average rate also rebounded quickly during the peak seasons, as occupancy reached 87% in August at an average rate of HKD 1,477. The comparable figures in 2018 was 95% occupancy rate at an average room rate of HKD1,306. However, half of the visitors are same-day visitors, and the spending was less significant compared to pre-pandemic figures due to changing travel behaviours.

To boost the recovery of the tourism industry, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has launched a series of campaigns to attract visitors, including the latest one, “Night Vibes Hong Kong,” which introduces various nigh-time events with local characteristics. It aims to diversify the leisure offerings in the city for both residents and tourists. However, the plans are merely scratching the surface at this stage and partially haphazard.

South Korea

Over 1 million international visitors to South Korea were recorded in August, representing 69% of pre-pandemic levels. After the restrictions on Chinese group tours were lifted in August, there was a surging number of tour bookings from tourists from China. The Bank of Korea forecast an additional 800,000 Chinese tourists to visit Korea due to the resumption of tour groups, and the number of Chinese tourists to Korea is expected to reach 85% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of the year.

Jeju, the popular destination in Korea given its visa free status for Chinese, sees a surging number of tourists in 2023, and its tourism is projected to fully recover by 2024. The number of flights serving Jeju has resumed quickly. The airport served 21.8 million passengers in the first nine months of 2023, showing a 94% recovery from the levels of 2019.

Additionally, cruises are slowly returning to Jeju after the halt due to the THAAD deployment in 2017. Schedules have 93 and +360 cruise ships call upon Jeju in 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Thailand

In August, Thailand welcomed more than 2.4 million international visitors, driven by Malaysia (18%), China (14%), and Korea (6%). The number of international visitors has reached over 70% of comparable figures in 2019; however, the return of travellers has yet to stimulate the local economy.

According to the President of the Tourism Council of Thailand, the slow economic recovery in China still affected overseas spending, and the higher level of household debt also hindered the economic growth of domestic tourism. Additionally, the mass shooting in the mall in October as well as rumours of kidnapping foreign visitors depicted by a Chinese movie have created negative images of Thailand as a destination.

To boost the tourism industry, the Prime Minister of Thailand announced a five-month visa exemption program for short-term visitors from China and Kazakhstan starting in late September. The program is expected to bring in 180,000 tourists by the end of the year, as well as 35 billion baht from Chinese tourists.

With this initiative, Thailand aims to achieve its target of 25–30 million tourists and 2.38 trillion Baht in revenue in 2023. Due to the increasing demand, particularly from China, Chiang Mai Airport will start to operate flights on a 24-hour basis to accommodate late-night flights from China, Japan, and Korea.

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