Southeast Asian destinations perfect for spontaneous trips by young Chinese

Young travelers from China are showing an ever-growing enthusiasm for visiting Southeast Asian countries in a more spontaneous travel style and without extensive planning, industry players found.

Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have become popular overseas destinations for Chinese visitors, fueled by their visa-free entry policies and proximities to China, with many consumers tending to buy tickets one week, and go on their trips the following week, according to a report by Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency, and Scoot, the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines Group.

A more flexible approach to traveling rather than planning far in advance has become a new trend. For the National Day holiday break, the number of Chinese travelers who booked trips within seven days of departure grew by 21 percent year-on-year, Qunar found.

Southeast Asia has become the top choice for many young Chinese travelers with short flying distances and cheaper prices, making them especially attractive outbound destinations. Travelers have booked more affordable homestays, packages that include flights and hotels, as well as flights that are operated by low-cost airlines.

Scoot said more than 60 percent of travelers who took its flights for the week-long National Day holiday booked the tickets in September, and 25 percent of travelers booked the flights within seven days of departure.

"Some Southeast Asian destinations with high cost-effectiveness such as Kota Kinabalu and Penang in Malaysia, and Phuket in Thailand, were among the most popular destinations in the region during the National Day holiday break," said Bernard Sim, the recently promoted general manager for Scoot in China.

Besides, many young people no longer tend to carry heavy luggage. Instead, they opt for lightweight travel with just a backpack or a 20-inch carry-on suitcase for a trip, the report found.

As of July, the number of flights connecting China and Singapore fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels seen in 2019, and the number of Chinese travelers visiting Singapore reached 106 percent of 2019 levels, according to the Singapore Tourism Board.

Travel is no longer about sightseeing, and going to a place for a variety of shows, exhibitions, sporting events or concerts has become a new way for young people to enhance their travel experiences.

During the period when Taylor Swift held a concert in Singapore in March this year, the number of post-1990s Chinese travelers visiting Singapore hit a historic high, data from the Singapore Tourism Board showed.

In the second half of the year, Singapore and Malaysia held concerts by superstars including Jay Chou, Andy Lau and Dua Lipa, as well as hosting several international music festivals.

On the day when the tickets of popular concerts went on sale, fans who secured the tickets also quickly booked their flights at the same time, the report found.

In addition, more young Chinese travelers no longer prefer popular internet-famous tourism spots. They tend to seek places with beautiful sceneries and fewer crowds, and hidden gem destinations that haven't been overly commercialized. More young people also prefer to travel during off-peak periods to enjoy better experiences at a lower cost, the report found.

Sarawak, a niche destination in eastern Malaysia, saw the number of Chinese mainland travelers from January to July surpass the total number seen in the whole of 2023, according to Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore.

Over the seven-month period, the number of Chinese mainland visitors jumped 90 percent year-on-year. In July, a peak travel season in summer, Sarawak saw a record number of monthly visitors from the Chinese mainland, data from the office showed.

Moreover, hiking, camping, diving, spelunking, rock climbing and other outdoor activities have become increasingly popular for Chinese travelers. During the Golden Week holiday break, Surabaya in Indonesia was popular with many outdoor enthusiasts, Scoot said.