An analysis published by The Asia Business Daily on 25 February reveals that Thailand attracted an estimated 250 000 Chinese visitors during the 15-23 February Spring Festival, topping Korea, Malaysia and Singapore as the most popular outbound destination. Japan, once a perennial favourite, saw arrivals plunge by half to 130 000 amid diplomatic tensions over Taiwan. Marketing firm China Trading Desk attributes Thailand’s resurgence to aggressive safety messaging after last year’s scam-ring headlines, the continuation of Thailand’s own visa-exemption programme for Chinese citizens, and extensive social-media promotion through Douyin and Xiaohongshu.
![250 000 Chinese tourists chose Thailand over Korea during Lunar New Year, data show]()
Against this backdrop, travellers still need to track entry rules that can shift without warning. VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines the process, providing real-time visa requirement updates, application support and expedited processing for destinations throughout Asia-Pacific and beyond, allowing corporate travel managers to adjust itineraries quickly when demand—or geopolitics—changes.
For mobility planners the swing has two practical effects. First, Bangkok and Phuket are back on high-risk lists for air-ticket inflation and hotel sell-outs; corporate rates negotiated in 2024 may no longer hold. Second, Korea’s bid to recapture Chinese leisure demand through its tour-group visa waiver (extended on the same day) underscores rising competition among Asia-Pacific destinations for China’s travel spend, a dynamic that could shape venue selection for regional conferences. The collapse in Japan numbers also reminds companies that geopolitical sentiment can upend travel plans overnight. Firms with critical suppliers in Japan should revisit contingency staffing models to ensure technicians can still be deployed if travel advisories tighten further.
Against this backdrop, travellers still need to track entry rules that can shift without warning. VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines the process, providing real-time visa requirement updates, application support and expedited processing for destinations throughout Asia-Pacific and beyond, allowing corporate travel managers to adjust itineraries quickly when demand—or geopolitics—changes.
For mobility planners the swing has two practical effects. First, Bangkok and Phuket are back on high-risk lists for air-ticket inflation and hotel sell-outs; corporate rates negotiated in 2024 may no longer hold. Second, Korea’s bid to recapture Chinese leisure demand through its tour-group visa waiver (extended on the same day) underscores rising competition among Asia-Pacific destinations for China’s travel spend, a dynamic that could shape venue selection for regional conferences. The collapse in Japan numbers also reminds companies that geopolitical sentiment can upend travel plans overnight. Firms with critical suppliers in Japan should revisit contingency staffing models to ensure technicians can still be deployed if travel advisories tighten further.
