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Chinese tourists

Chinese tourists
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Chinese tourists. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Tourists take pictures with the Sultan Abdul Samad building near Merdeka Square in Kuala Lumpur on June 8. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

How Malaysia’s tourist board plans to entice Chinese travellers

China was Malaysia’s second-largest source market in 2025, with 4.7 million visitor arrivals, up 25 per cent from 3.7 million a year earlier.

Trending in China

Chinese teenager cracks glass bridge; public questions structural quality

Malaysia

Why Malaysia’s tourism boom lives and dies on a Chinese app

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Malaysia

Malaysia has never had so many Chinese tourists. It wants more

As Thailand loses its allure, Malaysia turns to viral algorithms to entice millions of independent Chinese travellers.

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Illustration: Huy Truong
New Zealand

Why an easier option to travel to New Zealand is a hit with Chinese tourists

Chinese visitors take advantage of a pilot scheme that exempted them from visa requirements if they were travelling from Australia.

China travel

China-Japan flights to decline 57% in summer travel peak as tensions linger

Of Japan’s top five inbound tourism markets so far this year, mainland China is the only one where travellers require a visa.

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United States

With no team in World Cup, Chinese fans root for Ronaldo, Messi … and a referee

Chinese team has not played in tournament for 24 years, so supporters follow world’s two most famous players and a strict mainland official.

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Chinese football fan Zhai Yibo before the Portugal v DR Congo Fifa World Cup match at Portugal House in New York. Photo: Lucy Quaggin
Trending in China

Outrage erupts over distressed camel seen crying while carrying tourist in China

Video of struggling camel has ignited debate about treatment of animals in tourism and associated ethical concerns.

Japan

Video | Japan raises visa fees fivefold

A single-entry visa will jump from 3,000 yen (US$18.54) to 15,000 yen, and a multiple-entry visa will rise from 6,000 yen to 30,000 yen.

China consumption

Why are cash-strapped Chinese cities spending millions to host TV shows?

Jiangshan spent heavily to host the Chinese version of ‘Running Man’, but the project has provoked backlash amid China’s economic slowdown.

Cast members from the Chinese reality television show Keep Running pose for a photograph. Photo: Handout
China travel

Why are foreign travellers racing to China for the June Dragon Boat holiday?

Chinese travel platforms have logged a big jump in bookings by inbound tourists over the holiday, as global interest in Chinese festivals rises.

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Dragon boat crews take part in a waterborne parade in Tongren, southwest China’s Guizhou province, ahead of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. Photo: Xinhua
China society

Opinion | China’s ‘check-in culture’ tourists need a reality check

Superficial ‘check-in tourism’ focused on garnering likes on social media is adversely affecting the lives of locals and the facilities they use.

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China travel

China is cruising to become the world’s top tourism market, analysts say

Visa waivers for over 70 countries and an increase in domestic travel may mean Chinese tourism overtakes the US in market size, analysts say.

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Mainland China

World Cup kicks China’s summer travel market into extra time

From private-box tickets in Houston to luxury hotel viewing suites in China, football fans are driving a boom in travel and hospitality.

Their cup runneth over: according to Chinese online travel agencies, interest in World Cup-related travel has surged. Photo:AFP
China travel

China, South Korea agree to more flights per week as tourism to Japan dwindles

The additional flights are the first increase between the two countries since before the Covid pandemic.

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A Korean Air plane at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. Photo: Shutterstock
Malaysia

For those caught in China’s ‘involution’, RedNote offers a solution: Malaysia

Besides Malaysia’s education system, the influencers say the widespread use of Mandarin in the country is a big draw for Chinese visitors.

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Chinese culture

How China’s ‘Excalibur of the East’ souvenir swords sparked airport warning

Tourists with replicas of the ancient Sword of Goujian, from the Hubei Provincial Museum, were told not to hand-carry them onto planes.

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Fifa World Cup 2026

Will the World Cup help Mexico dispel Chinese tourists’ safety fears?

A boost of visitor numbers for the tournament should also include travellers from China, though surveys show lingering safety concerns.

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A replica of the World Cup trophy on display at Mexico City’s Museo Yancuic this month. Photo: Reuters
China consumption

More Chinese provinces and cities add holidays in bid to spur consumption

Central government has added 5 days of public holidays this year, and local administrations are extending spring and autumn school breaks.

Trending in China

China police dig through sand with hands to search for Taiwan tourist’s lost phone

Crime fighters get on their knees to manually search shifting sands; eventually find ‘despairing’ visitor’s mobile at peak of a dune.

United States

Is the US unsafe and unwelcoming? Trump’s tourism chief addresses ‘myths’

Donald Trump’s former pick for ambassador to Malaysia takes the helm of an ambitious US travel recovery effort.

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The Statue of Liberty in New York. American hospitality has faced growing scrutiny. Photo: AFP
Thailand

Badly behaving visitors push Thailand to remove 60-day visa entry

Only 54 countries and territories will get a 30-day visa exemption as authorities aim to curb illegal activities involving foreign tourists.

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Tourists visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok. Thailand has announced the removal of the 60-day visa-free entry for tourists. Photo: Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images
Hong Kong property

Hong Kong to see more mainland Chinese brands enter retail market, analysts say

In the first four months of the year, more than one fifth of new entrants in the city’s retail market were mainland brands, according to JLL.

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Hong Kong tourism

Opinion | Hong Kong’s tourism rebound needs new measures of success

Rather than count footfall and events, the city should focus on spending and impact, plan district tourism seriously and work on new assumptions.

Hong Kong environmental issues

Opinion | Mass tourism is not ecotourism. Hong Kong must do better on this soon

The Yangtze’s turnaround was made possible by the political will to resist economic pressure. Hong Kong should implement similar principles.

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Tourists enjoy hotpot on the beach at Ham Tin Wan on May 2, during the Labour Day “golden week” holiday. Photo: Edmond So
Hong Kong property

Fresh concepts lift Hong Kong retail property as tourists and consumers return

Landlords betting on a diversified tenant mix – from pop-ups to ‘sportainment’ – to sustain growth in retail property market, analysts say.

Hong Kong’s first-quarter retail sales rose 12 per cent from a year earlier to more than HK$106, according to the latest official data. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How to prevent Hong Kong from becoming just another Asian city

As urban experiences become more homogenous, Hong Kong must lead with what makes it different if it hopes to keep bringing in visitors.

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Thailand

Thailand bars Chinese tourist for life after airport auto-gate outburst

The man reportedly became frustrated when the gates did not open after he slammed his passport on the reader.

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