Chinese tourists are travelling again, with Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Indonesia benefiting

Chinese tourists are headed overseas for the extended May Labour Day holiday at near pre-pandemic levels, accelerating a rebound of what used to be the world’s biggest travel market.

Outbound trips between April 27 to May 5, which includes the five-day break that started Wednesday, are just 7 per cent below 2019 levels, according to ForwardKeys, a travel forecaster that analyses air ticketing, travel agency and other industry data.

A last-minute rush has seen bookings surge at a faster pace than was expected based on ticket sales at the beginning of April, according to the travel insights company. Meanwhile, domestic ticketing has surpassed 2019 levels by 4 per cent for the period.

The data, along with the results of Bloomberg Intelligence’s China traveller sentiment survey, shows demand rebounding, despite concerns the country’s sluggish economy is weighing on consumer confidence and spending. A swift return of Chinese travellers, who spent almost US$248 billion on trips abroad in 2019 before the pandemic essentially shut down tourism, is key to filling a big hole in the global travel industry.

“We’re now well ahead of the pace – that’s the bottom line,” said Tim Bacchus, Bloomberg Intelligence’s senior industry analyst. “We’re seeing an acceleration and an increase of expectations on China’s outbound travel. It’s recovering faster than what the industry expected at the beginning of the year.”

In 2019, Chinese travellers made 170 million trips abroad and their spending made up 14 per cent of global tourism revenue, according to World Travel and Tourism Council data. Analysts had expected China’s outbound tourism to be steady this year, with some forecasting a return to pre-Covid levels by 2025.

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