travel ban introduced In view of the reopening of the border with China maybe Influencing the places where people are booking trips.
But it’s not out of spite, said several Chinese travelers who spoke to CNBC.
This is because some countries are not letting them in, he said.
‘I think it’s unfair’
Reactions from Chinese passengers who spoke to CNBC varied, ranging from indifference to confusion and anger.
“Of course, I think it’s unfair,” said a citizen, who asked to be called Bonnie. “But at the same time, we understand what’s happening.”
So far, more than a dozen countries have announced New rules for passengers going from China last week, the The European Union recommended that its members Chinese travelers are required to undergo a Covid test before entering.
But Covid tests are not the problem, Shaun Rein, managing director of China Market Research Group, told “Squawk Box Asia” on Monday, It is that “these policies are only directed towards mainland Chinese,” he said.
Mansoor Mohammed, a South African living in China, agreed. “Getting a Covid test in China is relatively easy and cheap, so it won’t affect my travel plans,” he said.
,However, I know that many patriotic Chinese allies and friends will avoid those countries for now because the practice of testing only travelers arriving from China is discriminatory,” he said.
Of course, China needs Passengers to test negative before entering China, and is for three years.
The difference, said Mohammed, is that “every arrival [to China]Including Chinese citizens… [is] under the same rules.”
where are the chinese going
Gao Dan told CNBC she plans to move out of Qinghai province for the first time in more than two years. But she said she’s staying in China, adding that she hasn’t “looked into other countries’ travel policies,” according to CNBC Translate.
Others are booking travel overseas, but some not to their first choice destinations – namely Japan and South Korea.
A passenger named Bonnie told CNBC that her friends in China are going to Thailand instead of South Korea, even though “they may not have considered Thailand before”.
Tuul and Bruno Morandi | The Image Bank | Getty Images
“When China said they were opening the borders in January, all my friends said they were going to Japan and Korea,” Bonnie said.
But he could not get a visa, she said. “So they’re going to Thailand now.”
Rin said Chinese travelers are now going to Singapore and Thailand because “both countries are welcoming to us.”
Of the top destinations Chinese citizens searched after the border reopening was announced, two are the only ones that haven’t imposed new restrictions on incoming Chinese travelers.
Search interest for outbound flights from mainland China soared 83% in the 11 days following the announcement, compared with 14 days prior, according to data from Trip.com Group.
According to the company, during this period, search interest for Thailand and Singapore increased by 176% and 93%, respectively.
be angry with someone more than others
Chinese officials have called the rules of South Korea and others “excessive” anddiscriminatory,
But South Korea denies claims of discrimination. Seung-ho Choi, a deputy director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, told CNBC that the country’s rules “apply to Korean citizens and non-Korean citizens arriving from China. … There is no discrimination for nationality.” ” Measure.”
“China’s COVID situation is still getting worse,” he said. He said the number of people traveling from China to Korea increased 14-fold from November to December who tested positive for Covid-19.
Japan’s prime minister’s office did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment. A representative of Japan’s embassy in Singapore told CNBC that Japan is processing Chinese visit visa requests as usual.
Citing a discrepancy in information on infections from China, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters on 27 December: “To avoid a sharp increase in the influx of new cases into the country, we will increase efforts at entry inspections and at airports.” are focused,” according to an article published by Nikkei Asia,
Both Japan and South Korea have adopted a conservative approach to the COVID pandemic.
Japan, in particular, is lingering to bounce back to pre-pandemic life, showing with residents Little excitement when its own border fully reopens in October 2022.
‘a political issue’
Rein told “Squawk Box Asia” the rules are not just about tourism.
“It’s a political issue,” he said, adding that he expected Japanese stocks to be affected, singling out two cosmetics names.
“I would be cautious on Shiseido. I would be cautious on Kos, because there are going to be some boycotts,” he said. shares of cursing were lower on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday, but Shiseido Was more.
Rin said that the hostilities towards South Korea and Japan would be short-lived.
“It will take about three months for the anger to subside,” he said. “There’s going to be massive revenge travel out of Korea to Japan – if both those countries treat the Chinese fairly.”
New Zealander Darren Strucker, who lives and works in Shanghai, said he also believes the policies are politically motivated, calling them a “last sad gasp”. [as] Covid closes the geopolitical door.”