Japan and Thailand top list of travel destinations for Chinese tourists

Japan and Thailand top the list of Asian destinations for Chinese tourists heading abroad this summer, as the world’s biggest market of travelers look for holidays that offer good value.

South Korea and Japan have already seen a surge of Chinese tourists after their currencies weakened against the yuan, while Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia and Thailand lure tourists with visa-free entry and relatively lower costs, according to Cirium seat capacity data, flight ticketing analysis from ForwardKeys and online travel sites’ bookings.

Amy Li, who lives in Chengdu, is planning a nine-day trip to Malaysia next month with her husband and two children. Pricing was the single biggest factor in choosing Malaysia, where they will visit Kuala Lumpur and beaches in Kota Kinabalu, she said.