BUSINESS

Thailand Reclaims Top Spot for Chinese Tourists as Japan Loses Favor

Published: Feb. 10, 2026 6:42 p.m. GMT+8

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Travelers at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Feb. 8. Photo: VCG

Thailand has regained its status as the top destination for Chinese tourists, driven by demand for Lunar New Year travel, while interest in Japan has plummeted following government warnings.

The shifting travel patterns for the upcoming holiday highlight how diplomatic ties and safety perceptions are reshaping the spending habits of Chinese consumers, diverting flows away from Northeast Asia toward Southeast Asia and emerging destinations like Uzbekistan.

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Thailand is the top destination for Chinese tourists, with 157 daily China–Thailand flights, amid a sharp drop in travel to Japan due to government warnings and diplomatic tensions.
Southeast Asian destinations like Malaysia and Indonesia saw strong year-on-year growth in flights, while flights to Japan fell by nearly 50%.
Travel to emerging destinations such as Uzbekistan is rising, with bookings quadrupling and overall outbound international flight bookings up 8% year-on-year.

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Who’s Who

Flight Master: Flight Master is an aviation data provider that tracks flight information. According to their data, Thailand has become the top outbound destination for Chinese travelers, with 157 round-trip flights between China and Thailand on a recent Sunday. They also report Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam show the fastest year-on-year growth in average daily flights, while flights between China and Japan have significantly decreased.

Qunar: Qunar is a travel platform. It reported that bookings for hotel stays in Uzbekistan quadrupled for the Lunar New Year holiday, making it the fastest-growing destination tracked by the platform. Bookings for Turkey also increased significantly, by 1.5 times.

Umetrip: Umetrip, also known as 航旅纵横 (Hánglǚ Zònghéng), is a flight tracker. It collects and provides data on airline bookings and passenger volumes. For the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, Umetrip data shows international airline ticket bookings surpassing 220,000, with an 8% daily increase compared to the 2025 holiday period. Passenger volumes on international routes have exceeded 1.82 million.

AI generated, for reference only

What Happened When

2025：: A mutual visa-exemption agreement between China and Uzbekistan took effect.

November 2025：: Tensions between China and Japan escalated after controversial remarks on Taiwan by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

November 2025：: Beijing urged citizens to avoid visiting Japan, causing a steep decline in flights to Japan.

January 26, 2026：: China’s foreign ministry warned against Lunar New Year travel to Japan due to security concerns and earthquakes.

February 2–8, 2026：: Thailand ranked as the top outbound destination for Chinese travelers. Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam recorded fastest year-on-year growth in average daily flights.

February 8, 2026：: Roughly half of outbound flights were destined for Southeast Asia; 157 round-trip flights operated between China and Thailand, highest volume among all outbound routes.

By February 9, 2026：: Hotel stay bookings in Uzbekistan during the Lunar New Year holiday in 2026 had quadrupled; bookings for Turkey increased 1.5 times.

As of February 9, 2026：: International airline ticket bookings for the holiday in 2026 surpassed 220,000, with average daily increase of 8% compared to 2025 holiday period.