Silhouette beauty: A tourist posing next to a light sculpture ahead of the Lunar New Year celebration in Bangkok’s China town. Retailers in popular Asian destinations are desperate to take advantage of the return of a first wave of Chinese tourists as the country reopens borders after three long years of Covid-19 curbs. — Reuters
HONG KONG: As Chinese shoppers trickle back to tourist hotspots for Lunar New Year holidays, malls from Macau to Bangkok aim to lure them into stores with red lantern displays, special dances to mark the Year of the Rabbit – and discounts.
The overall number of international flights from China is still just 12% of pre-pandemic levels due to slow capacity increases.
But retailers in popular Asian destinations are desperate to take advantage of the return of a first wave of Chinese tourists as the country reopens borders after three long years of Covid-19 curbs.
That’s because Chinese customers have been a much-missed mainstay of the world’s retail and travel industry: Their spending on travel had grown to US$255bil in 2019, before the pandemic, and accounted for 33% of spending in the global luxury personal goods market, according to estimates from Bain.
“We’re definitely seeing an uptick in traffic across both the gaming and retail side of the business,” said a Macau casino executive.
The number of daily international flights from China topped 300 this week for the first time since May 2020, VariFlight data shows, reaching 310.
Shanghai-based Juneyao Airlines reported its flights to Thai resorts Chiang Mai and Phuket were 99% and 95% full respectively when it resumed regular operations this week.
And robust demand for destinations like Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand has boosted prospects for the battered travel industry, Ctrip booking data shows.
In Bangkok, upscale shopping mall Iconsiam, which houses outlet for luxury goods giants Louis Vuitton and Prada, is rolling out an “Eternal Prosperity” campaign for the Lunar New Year designed to drive up traffic by 10% to 15%, managing director Supoj Chaiwatsirikul said.In Singapore, the upmarket mall at the Marina Bay Sands resort has put in place giant rabbit decorations.
Still, destinations elsewhere show that the return of Chinese tourists remains at a very early stage.
Fresh Covid-19 testing requirements for Chinese tourists in some locations may be acting as a barrier, while some countries also require visas that take time to process.
Retailers in South Korea are also not seeing a huge influx in Chinese tourists yet, citing the suspension of short-term visas for travellers between both countries.
In Hong Kong, which has seen a big increase in mainland visitors, retailers say that has yet to translate into a significant sales jump, with many people appearing to be coming largely to see families. — Reuters
