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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.
Norwegian football star Erling Haaland has become the face of a major advertising campaign for the Chinese herbal drink brand Walovi during the World Cup. Photo: Captured from Instagram
China travel

The Haaland effect? Chinese tourists flock to Norway amid World Cup ad blitz

The hulking striker has become a huge star in China during the World Cup, helping his homeland attract a growing wave of tourists.

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China economy

Opinion | How domestic tourism is driving Chinese consumption and growth

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China travel

‘Indispensable to me’: how RedNote has taken over China’s travel scene

China property

Up Tempo? Hilton hotel brand taps into rising China tourism demand

US hotel operator says new lifestyle brand reflects its belief that the country’s tourism sector will continue to grow.

Hilton executives at the launch ceremony of the Tempo hotel brand in Shanghai on Tuesday. Photo: Handout
South Korea

Jeju plan to allow Chinese tourist drivers stokes safety backlash

The proposal has reignited a decade-old debate over insurance and legal loopholes amid calls for phased policy changes.

South Korea

South Korea’s foreigner-only casinos hit jackpot as Chinese tourists return

The casino industry, open only to foreigners, is betting on an expected surge in Chinese group travel in the second half to drive profits.

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Japan

Japan wants 60 million tourists, but China isn’t sending them

Tokyo is banking on a massive visitor boom to do what its factories and financiers increasingly cannot: carry the economy forward.

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Tourists throng a shopping street in front of Sensoji Temple in the popular Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan, last month. Photo: Kyodo
China consumption

How a quiet Chinese fishing village became a global surfing hotspot

Wanning, on tropical Hainan Island, is now home to 160 surf clubs and welcomes 500,000 visitors a year.

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Hong Kong property

Hong Kong’s 5-star resilience: city’s luxury hotels pull ahead of competition

Robust demand spurs investment activities in the luxury-hotel segment, and transactions have seen strong growth across the Asia-Pacific region since 2017.

Myanmar

Myanmar has ‘a mountain to climb’ to woo 2 million tourists a year

Myanmar saw 4.5 million tourist arrivals at the peak in 2015, but the numbers have fallen sharply since the military coup in 2021.

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Tourists offer joss sticks at Myanmar’s Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon in 2019. Photo: AP
Malaysia

Chinese tourist’s World Cup flag blunder in Malaysia goes viral

The visitor demanded a hotel fly China’s flag, unaware the display only featured nations that had actually qualified for the tournament.

A still from a social media video shows a Chinese tourist at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, irate about the absence of China’s national flag from a World Cup display. Photo: Threads
Trending in China

Burned-out Chinese workers flock to tourist-site ‘poet actor’ for life wisdom

Wang Haonan goes viral playing Tang dynasty cultural icon, providing poetic solace to those who consult him about their problems.

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

The scenic area was designated a national 5A tourist attraction in 2024; by 2025, China had hosted 358 such esteemed sites.

A teenager damaged a panel on a glass bridge at a tourist site in central China, raising concerns about the quality of the structure. Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
Malaysia

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

RedNote has made Malaysia a must-visit for Chinese tourists, but it can dismantle reputations just as fast as it builds them.

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A woman holds her smartphone displaying the Chinese social networking and e-commerce app RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu. Photo: AFP
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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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.

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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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ANA and Japan Airlines planes taxi at Haneda airport in Tokyo on April 12, 2026. Photo: Kyodo
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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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.

Kyoto, Japan - 17 September 2017: Tourists walking along illuminated restaurants and bars in Pontocho street at night in old town
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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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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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Italian tourists (front) pose for a selfie at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. Photo: Xinhua
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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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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