The Economist Intelligence Unit, an arm of the London-based international business intelligence provider the Economist Group, has issued a report that predicts that outbound Chinese tourists are likely to choose destinations close to home in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the report, China was the world’s largest exporter of tourists, logging US$254.6 billion spent overseas in 2019, around one-fifth of global tourism spending. Post-pandemic, those same travelers are likely to choose destinations closer to home, due to safety concerns and tight visa policies, the report said, noting Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia and Laos, followed by UAE, Malaysia and Thailand as the most likely destinations.
“Given the territories’ proximity to China and relative success in controlling the virus, we expect tourism flows to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by the second quarter of 2023, and to return gradually to their pre-crisis potential. Before the pandemic, around 42 percent of Chinese outbound tourism was to Hong Kong and Macau,” the report said.
“It will take around nine months for tourist numbers to return to pre-pandemic levels after the border opens, as travelers’ concerns about safety will not dissipate straight away.”
