On 25 January 2024, representatives of the People's Republic of China** and the Republic of Singapore** signed the Agreement on Mutual Visa Exemption for Holders of Ordinary Passports between the People's Republic of China** and the Republic of Singapore** in Beijing, which will officially enter into force on 9 February 2024 (Chinese New Year's Eve).
Today (February 1), a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily searched and found that during the Spring Festival holiday in 2024 (February 10-February 17), hotels in Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand have not generally skyrocketed except for a few well-known hotels, and mid-range hotels of about 1,000 yuan can still be booked. The average domestic air ticket to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand** (excluding tax) is about 2,200 yuan.
Searching for air tickets and hotels** is actually cheaper than imagined", Ms. Wang from Beijing plans to travel with her family during the Spring Festival holiday, "The 'new Malaysia and Thailand' visa-free has shortened my family's decision-making process, and I don't need to prepare too much time in advance, and I can also have a trip abroad." ”
At the same time, the data shows that during the Spring Festival, the whole rent of domestic travel homestays dropped by 40%, which is also easier to book than in previous years.
The average air ticket to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand is 2200 yuan
On January 25, the Singapore Embassy in China posted on its official Weibo account that the entry into force of the visa waiver agreement between the two countries will provide greater convenience for citizens of Singapore and China in terms of business and leisure travel. It is hoped that the implementation of the agreement will drive more business tourism and promote the development of tourism.
On the same day, Ctrip data showed that the number of orders from Chinese tourists to Singapore during the 2024 Spring Festival holiday increased by more than 14 times compared with last year. Qunar data shows that the search volume of air tickets and hotels in Singapore has increased significantly, and Singapore is the fifth most popular destination for the Spring Festival. On Fliggy's platform, the number of searches for air tickets in Singapore increased by more than 15 times month-on-month, and the number of hotel searches increased by more than 6 times month-on-month.
According to the data of Air Travel, as of January 29, during the Spring Festival holiday in 2024 (February 10-February 17), the number of domestic air ticket bookings to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand exceeded 150,000, an increase of about 15% from a week ago. During the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, the average domestic air ticket to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand** (excluding tax) is about 2,200 yuan.
As of January 29, the top 10 popular outbound destinations for the 2024 Spring Festival holiday are: Hong Kong, Bangkok, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Macau, Sydney, Taipei, and Phuket; Top 10 source cities for domestic outbound tourists: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Nanjing, Kunming, Qingdao.
During the Spring Festival, the visa-free local hotels of "New Malaysia and Thailand" increased slightly in price
It is good news that Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand will be able to "go and go", and the 8-day Spring Festival holiday in 2024 will take into account the travel plans of these three Southeast Asian countries. Ms. Wang in Beijing said that after looking at air tickets and hotels, she found that the price of hotels in several popular tourist cities in China has increased by about 50%, and some Internet celebrity hotels have even doubled, while after Singapore's visa-free policy has landed, local hotels have not risen sharply. "I have seen several mid-range hotels** are between 1200-1500 yuan, and this ** is acceptable. "Malaysia's hotels** have not risen much, and the local well-known and cost-effective hotels have been booked; Mid-to-high-end hotels did not rise much during the Spring Festival.
A reporter from Beiqing Daily searched and found that some high-end luxury hotels in Singapore during the Spring Festival were about 2,000-5,000 yuan. For example, the sea view room at Shangrita Sentosa Resort in Singapore is about 4,300 yuan with breakfast for two**; There are also some mid-range hotels** that are still around 1,000 yuan. For example, Novotel Singapore Kitchener does not include breakfast every night during the Spring Festival, including tax** is 1008 yuan.
The three countries of "Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand" have all been exempted from visas
Singapore is the last of the three countries to announce visa-free travel. Malaysia began on December 1 last year to implement visa-free access for Chinese citizens within 30 days of entry. Thai Prime Minister Saita said on January 2 this year that China and Thailand will permanently exempt each other's citizens from March.
According to the relevant person in charge of Tongcheng Research Institute, Singapore is one of China's popular outbound travel destinations. Southeast Asia's first tourist route "Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand" has all been visa-free for Chinese tourists, and it will be more convenient for Chinese tourists to travel to Singapore and Southeast Asia in the future.
Qin Jing, General Manager of the Public Affairs Department of Trip.com Group, said that China and New Zealand are important tourist destinations and source destinations for each other, and the people of the two countries have close exchanges in business, tourism and family visits, and the visa exemption will further stimulate people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and promote the growth of tourism. The implementation of the visa-free policy also means that the new Malaysia-Thailand, the first tourist route in Southeast Asia, is fully visa-free for Chinese tourists, which will greatly drive the popularity of the outbound travel market. In addition, it will also play a positive role in promoting the development of China's inbound tourism market in 2024.
Visa exemption still needs to pay attention to the date of stay and related policies
After the "new Malaysia-Thailand" visa-free, can Chinese tourists buy a ticket and leave? What else do I need to prepare? The relevant person in charge of Tongcheng Travel said that Chinese tourists need to carry passports to "Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand", and visa-free means that they can enter the country with a valid passport and do not need to apply for a visa, but they still need a passport to pass customs, board the plane, stay in a hotel, etc. In addition, it is also visa-free for Chinese tourists, and the information required by tourists from different countries will be different, so be sure to check and confirm in advance. Tourists need to pay attention to the length of stay, passport validity, visa-free passport types and other issues to avoid affecting the itinerary due to non-compliance with relevant regulations. The visa policies between countries will be constantly updated, and it is recommended that tourists go to the relevant *** to inquire in time.
As of press release by the reporter of Beijing Youth Daily, the Singapore Embassy and entry-related ** have not clarified the specific process and requirements for Chinese citizens to enter the country without a visa. According to relevant professionals, it is usually necessary to prepare relevant documents or information such as round-trip air tickets and hotels.
Domestic travel Spring Festival homestay** The whole rent fell by 40%.
During the Spring Festival, B&B rentals** decreased. A reporter from Beiqing Daily learned from the Tujia platform that the number of homestay bookings with the label of "whole rent, multiple residences, and single-family houses" will increase by 3 times compared with 2023. However, it is worth noting that renting a domestic homestay for the Chinese New Year in 2024 will be more affordable, and the average nightly payment of the above-mentioned label homestay on the platform** will decrease by nearly 40% year-on-year.
Tujia data shows that Dali ranked first in the number of homestay bookings on the Spring Festival platform this year, and Harbin continued its popularity and became the top city in the north. The top 10 most popular booking cities for the Spring Festival on the platform are Dali, Harbin, Beijing, Beihai, Sanya, Xishuangbanna, Chongqing, Lijiang, Guangzhou and Xi'an.
Liu Yang, chief commercial officer of Tujia B&B, said, "This year's Spring Festival holiday is long, and guests' travel time and travel destination choices are diversifying and decentralized, coupled with the increase in the supply of homestay markets, so it is more affordable than in previous years." ”
【Copyright Notice】The copyright of this article (including the right of information network dissemination) belongs to Beijing Youth Daily, and it is not allowed to be unauthorized **
Text: Beijing Youth Daily reporter Lin Lishuang.
Edited by Fan Hongwei.