South
Chinese travelers visit tourist hot-spots across Asia as travel exceeds pre-pandemic levels
Chinese travelers flocked to tourist hot-spots across Asia over the Lunar New Year break, with visitor numbers and spending in destinations including Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia exceeding pre-COVID levels.
Visa-free access for Chinese tourists to the Southeast Asia countries boosted traffic and signalled a robust revival in travel since Beijing lifted strict COVID restrictions in early 2023 that had all but shut China’s borders for three years.
The increase provides welcome relief to countries that rely on the Chinese and their spending, although the outlook for a sustained recovery in overseas travel is overshadowed by a sluggish mainland economy and volatile markets that have seen consumers tighten their belts at home.
TAIWAN PROTESTS AFTER CHINESE COAST GUARD BOARDS TOURIST BOAT NEAR KINMEN ARCHIPELAGO
“Despite the macroeconomic headwinds, we believe Chinese citizens are still willing to spend on travel-related experiences … we think travel-related spending could continue to outpace this overall domestic consumption,” HSBC said in a research note.
Bookings to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia combined jumped more than 30% from Feb. 10-17 compared with 2019, according to travel website operator Trip.com, with Chinese visitors to Hong Kong, Macau, Japan and South Korea also increasing.
The holiday in 2024 lasted for eight days, one day more than the Lunar New year break in 2019.
Bangkok’s International Airport welcomes the first group of Chinese tourists who have arrived under a five-month visa-free entry period in Thailand on Sept. 25, 2023. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo)
Reflecting the boost from visa waivers, hotel bookings for Bangkok tripled over the period from Feb. 10-13 year-on-year, while those for Singapore jumped nine-fold, according to travel platform LY.com.
Spending in Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia combined on the Chinese mobile payment platform Alipay increased 7.5% in the period from Feb. 9-12 from 2019 levels and nearly 7-fold from last year, Alipay said.
However, overall consumer spending only recovered to 82% of levels four years ago, the company said.
Data from the Tourism Authority of Thailand put the number of Chinese tourist arrivals over the holiday at nearly 244,000, beating forecasts, and up more than six-fold from 2023. Spending was about 8.6 billion baht ($239 million) versus 1.3 billion baht in 2023.
MIDDLE EAST SURGE
As Chinese scour for new adventures, the Middle East proved a popular Lunar New Year destination, with travel to Saudi Arabia up more than nine-fold from 2019 levels and bookings to United Arab Emirates climbing 60%, Trip.com said.
The gambling hub of Macau, the only place in China where citizens can legally gamble in casinos, was visited by more than a million Chinese tourists over the holiday, with average hotel occupancy rates reaching 95%, according to official data.
The jump in tourists bodes well for some of the world’s largest casino operators in the former Portuguese territory, including Sands China and Wynn Macau.
JP Morgan said in a note it expected daily gross gaming revenues for the peak of the holiday to hit $124 million for the first time in more than four years – higher than the $112 million generated during the October 2023 Golden Week holiday.
Mass gaming rates were forecast to have reached 120% of pre-COVID levels, it said, adding that it expects February gross gaming revenues to rise by at least 80% year-on-year to $2.36 billion, the highest in more than four years.
Across the border in Hong Kong, leader John Lee said on Tuesday more than 1.2 million Chinese tourists visited the city over Lunar New Year, with hotel occupancy rates reaching 90% in the first few days.
South Korea’s Justice Ministry said more than 114,000 Chinese visitors entered the country during the holiday, up 4% from 2019, while some travel agents noted tourists were increasingly opting to travel on their own rather than in groups, which meant fewer organized trips to mega-stores.
“With drops in the number of group tourists, we don’t get to see Chinese tourists carrying big shopping bags anymore,” an official at a travel agency in Seoul told Reuters, requesting not to be named as he is not authorized to speak to media.
That trend was also seen in Thailand.
“Vendors said there were not many buyers. We also see Chinese tourists carrying very little things. In the past, they went shopping and came back with a pile of things,” said Paisarn Sukjarean, president of the Thai Hotels Association’s Northern Upper Chapter.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In Japan, department store operator Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings said that through to Feb. 14 “duty-free sales were significantly higher than the previous year, partly due to the Chinese New Year”.
A shift in holiday tastes was reflected in some data as travellers sought more experience-based trips, with Alipay reporting Chinese tourists globally spent 70% more on food and beverages compared with pre-COVID levels.
Trip.com said overseas car rentals on its platform jumped 53% compared to 2019 and tickets for scenic experiences abroad soared more than 130%.
Augusta, GA
Free, inexpensive swim, lessons offered in Augusta, Aiken
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The third annual Splash Summit takes place Saturday at the Augusta Kroc Center through the Izzy Scott Foundation.
The foundation was created after 4-year-old Izzy Scott drowned during a swim lesson in Burke County nearly four years ago.
Since then, more than 700 people have received swim lessons in two years. The Izzy Scott Foundation is looking to get more than 1,000 people by the end of summer in swim lessons.
The Salvation Army Kroc Center has partnered with the foundation each year. Last year, the Kroc Center provided nearly 160 swim lessons through the foundation.
The summit is from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. People can sign up for free swim lessons at the event.
Aiken swim lessons
In Aiken, starting Monday, May 5, people can sign up for swim lessons. The lessons will be one-week sessions for kids with adults having two-week sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
It will cost $30 per session and registration will be at the Smith-Hazel Recreation Center. People also can register online with applications available for scholarships to help with the costs.
Swim lessons start June 1.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
Washington, D.C
Santana Moss hosts clinic for kids with disabilities in Southeast DC – WTOP News
Former Washington Commanders wide receiver Santana Moss spent Saturday morning running drills, greeting families and encouraging young athletes at a clinic for children with special needs.
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
(WTOP / Jimmy Alexander)
WTOP / Jimmy Alexander
Former Washington Commanders wide receiver Santana Moss spent Saturday morning running drills, greeting families and encouraging young athletes at a clinic for children with special needs.
The event held at Ballou High School in Southeast D.C. was hosted by Moss’ 89 Ways to Give Foundation in partnership with Health Services for Children with Special Needs.
“We’ve got a bunch of kids out here going through drills,” Moss said. “I’m here to make sure they have a great time.”
Between stations, Moss stopped to shake hands, pose for selfies and talk with participants and their families.
“You can come out and make a difference. Make an impact with just your presence,” he said.
Organizers said the clinic was designed to give children a chance to learn the basics, build confidence and have fun in a supportive environment.
Ashley Young, who helped plan the event, said creating opportunities for children with disabilities is personal to her.
“Even though my child doesn’t have a disability, being able to work with kids who do and put on events like this means a lot to me,” Young said.
Moss said the clinic was about more than football fundamentals. He said he wants kids to leave believing they can succeed well beyond the field.
“I always tell them, if you can touch me, you can be me,” Moss said. “It’s not necessarily about being a football player it’s about being successful in life.”
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Austin, TX
Texas cooks up new rules for food trucks
TEXAS — Beginning this summer, food trucks across Texas will no longer be bound to city limits. The state Legislature passed House Bill 2844 last year, and it strikes away the city-by-city permit structure and introduces a statewide approach instead.
For example, before the law passed, food truck operators wanting to work in the city of Austin one week then travel and cook in the city of Georgetown the next would have to apply and pay for each city’s approval.
“Every single city in Texas, and sometimes county as well, gets to currently regulate how food trucks work,” said Samuel Hooper from Institute for Justice, a legislative counsel. “They get to issue their own health permits. They get to run their own inspections. So as you can imagine, that gets really expensive really fast.”
But starting July 1, mobile vendors can operate from Lubbock to Austin using the same permit.
“Just one health inspection, one permit,” said Hooper. “You maintain public safety, but you get rid of all this bureaucracy.”
Hooper has lobbied for this type of food-business policy for years, including with his support of a similar bill introduced last year under HB 2683. The new HB 2844 was a parallel bill and took over as main legislation. A food truck enthusiast himself, Hooper said he is happy to see the policy come into full effect.
“Let food trucks focus on what they actually do best, which is cooking food and not doing paperwork,” Hooper said.
One Austin-based food truck owner, Suresh Mogili, carries the same philosophy while cooking burgers in his truck, Eat Love Repeat.
“I’ve been doing this business since 2019,” he said. “I’m from a different country; I’m from New Zealand, so last year I came to introduce the concept in the USA, so it’s a fusion style burger.”
Hooper said food trucks should have a less rigid structure to help aspiring operators like Mogili cook and serve instead of dealing with paperwork. Part of the roadblock is due to fears that brick-and-mortar businesses will suffer, he said, and pointed to a 2022 study that shows the opposite.
“It’s meant to be a way for people with less capital, less access to capital, maybe who are new to the country or state, to get up and running and start a business quickly,” Hooper said.
Texas joins the list of other states that have implemented similar structures for their food trucks, including Utah and Maryland.
Despite the growing trend nationwide, Hooper advises it might be best to max out control at the state level.
“You kind of have to strike that balance between wanting it to be local enough to respond genuinely to local and regional issues, and not so broad that it kind of erases those,” Hooper said.
-
Minneapolis, MN3 minutes agoFederal investigators looking into fatal plane crash, according to officials
-
Indianapolis, IN9 minutes agoIndianapolis Colts Select Ohio State Defensive End Caden Curry in Sixth Round of 2026 NFL Draft
-
Pittsburg, PA15 minutes agoPittsburgh Steelers 2026 NFL Draft grades: TE Riley Nowakowski
-
Augusta, GA21 minutes agoFree, inexpensive swim, lessons offered in Augusta, Aiken
-
Washington, D.C27 minutes agoSantana Moss hosts clinic for kids with disabilities in Southeast DC – WTOP News
-
Cleveland, OH33 minutes agoSeveral people injured in multi-vehicle crash on Cleveland’s West Side
-
Austin, TX39 minutes ago
Texas cooks up new rules for food trucks
-
Alabama45 minutes agoPackers draft Alabama CB in sixth round