Thailand this week said foreign tourist arrivals surged 37% to 16.2 million in the year through June 16, with Chinese accounting for 3.2 million of those visitors. Both companies and analysts have said the rebound in travel will help both profits and regional economies, particularly in tourist destinations in Southeast Asia.
Asia is on course to reach pre-pandemic levels of tourism in the first half of next year, according to Fitch Ratings, citing weaker currencies, government efforts to lure visitors, and a jump in outbound travel from China.
The Asia and Pacific region had a slower recovery from the pandemic than the rest of the world, the ratings company said in a report, citing data showing the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the Americas have already either exceeded or are on course to beat pre-Covid tourist arrivals in the first half of this year.
