20230118 Torists

Foreign tourists at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, one of Bangkok's most popular attractions, on Jan. 10. © EPA/Jiji

Thailand and Indonesia gear up for return of Chinese tourists

After a three-year lull, is Southeast Asia's travel sector ready for a rush?

JAKARTA/HONG KONG/BANGKOK -- When Beijing decided to drop the COVID-era border controls that had shut China off from the rest of the world for three years, Komang, a souvenir seller at the traditional tourist haunts of Sanur beach in Bali, could not have been happier.

"I'm excited and looking forward to Chinese tourists coming to Bali again," the 36-year-old, who goes by only one name, told Nikkei Asia. "Most importantly, always having a group of tourists around means we'll have income."

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