Singapore has outpaced its neighbors in regaining Chinese tourists, boasting a 96 percent recovery rate, well ahead of Thailand and Vietnam.

Gaming and tourism hubs within Southeast Asia are struggling to attract Chinese customers, with sharp drop-offs in the numbers of visitors from the source when compared to 2019. Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand are all suffering from less outbound Chinese tourism, with lower spending being attributed to an economic slowdown and safety concerns.

Efforts to entice Chinese travelers back to Southeast Asian countries, including visa-free travel initiatives, have not yielded the expected results, posing a threat to the tourism-dependent economies of these nations and prompting some businesses to rethink their expansion strategies.

During the initial week, from September 25th to October 1st, after Thailand implemented a visa-free entry policy for Chinese tourists, the number of Chinese tourists entering Thailand exceeded 100,000. This marked a significant increase of 72.49 percent compared to the previous week, according to data released by Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports on Wednesday.

Thailand’s new government approved a visa-free entry programme for tourists on Wednesday.

In a strategic bid to lure back Chinese tourists and bolster domestic economies, both Thailand and South Korea have announced groundbreaking initiatives. These initiatives involve visa exemptions, tax refunds, and rewards for Chinese travelers.

As the second of the iconic promotional series this year, the “Macao Week in Tianjin” was unveiled in Tianjin on 1 September. As a major highlight, the mega roadshow is staged along the pedestrian street (Gold Street) on Heping Street in Tianjin to showcase Macao’s glamorous “tourism +” to Tianjin residents from 31 August – 4 September for five days in a row.

Paradise City, an integrated resort in Incheon operated by Paradise Co., announced on Monday that it has partnered with Chinese online travel agency giant Ctrip, intending to lure Chinese tourists.

Osaka’s governor says that the casino business planned to open in the city would be “perfectly viable without the Chinese tourists”.

South Korea reopened its borders to vaccinated travelers from April 1st, providing some relief for its foreigner-only casinos, but recovery is expected to be a long haul given the lack of Chinese visitation.