In charts: How Asia's tourism recovery is held back by stay-home Chinese

World's biggest foreign travel market hurt by weak economy, safety concerns

20231219 Chinese tourists in Wat Phra Kaew

Chinese tourists visit Bangkok's Wat Phra Kaew temple in August. People from the country made up the world's biggest outbound travel market before the COVID pandemic, with 155 million trips in 2019. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

GRACE LI, Nikkei staff writer

December 21, 2023 13:58 JST

HONG KONG -- Asia's hard-hit tourism sector is recovering, but a full rebound isn't going to happen without more visitors from China -- the world's largest outbound travel market before COVID.

Almost a year after Beijing dropped strict mobility curbs, many countries in the region are yet to see Chinese arrivals bounce back to pre-pandemic levels, as a stumbling economy prompts many to tighten their belts and stay closer to home.