Destination desolation(2)

Angkor Wat in Cambodia is the largest religious monument in the world. CHINA DAILY

Institute for Tourism Studies researcher Jae Yeon Choe says: "While preferences for easiness of visa procedures and air service expansion－such as nonstop flights－are factors, Korea's and Japan's pop, fashion and food culture continue to attract Chinese visitors."

IT developer Cheng Wei says his parents wouldn't "let" him visit Vietnam over the National Day holidays.

But he enjoyed Korea two weeks before on his first international trip.

"Korea is nearer than Vietnam," the Beijinger says.

"Flights are cheaper, and it's more developed."

Singapore is the most developed Southeast Asian destination to suffer from the tapering off of Chinese visitors. But industry insiders say that has more to do with Chinese policy than Singapore's positioning as a gateway to other destinations.

"With China exercising closer scrutiny on official government junkets and corruption, Singapore has lost some attraction," Choe explains.

"Gambling was a big draw."

King says Southeast Asian countries have "adopted separate approaches" to deal with the drop.

"Singapore has presented itself in China as a single standalone destination as a means of distinguishing itself from the trouble occurring in neighboring Malaysia," he says.

Chinese tourism to Malaysia dropped 9 percent to 850,877 between January and June compared with the same period of 2013, following years of growth, Tourism Malaysia's general director Dato' Mirza Mohammad Taiyab says.

He believes the dip to be temporary.

Malaysia has responded by studying Chinese travel preferences according to regions and is tailoring marketing according to specific locations, he explains. It's also staging social media campaigns focused on safety; introducing new products and packages; developing charter flights; and marketing more toward second- and third-tier cities.

"Malaysia's priority is to regain the goodwill and friendship of the Chinese people," Taiyab says.

"We are confident that the tourist flow from China will return to normal soon."

King says Thailand has been "particularly active" in courting Chinese tourists.

"(It's) waiving visa fees; launching special retail offers; partnering with Chinese travel agents to develop appealing packages; lessening import duties on luxuries; and stimulating flights to airports away from Bangkok.

Indonesia has started a Chinese-language website. "Indonesia has emerged as the region's main beneficiary of neighboring countries' decline.

Outbound tourism to the country grew 22 percent in the first half of the year, King says.

Lyu points out the archipelago proactively courts Chinese tourists.

"Direct flight routes between major Chinese cities and Bali, plus a visa-free policy, win them a handful of bills. More resources and money are being spent on advertising, upgrading facilities, training Chinese-speaking guides and trade shows."

The tourism authorities, embassies and comparable bodies of Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines didn't respond to repeated China Daily interview requests.

The Philippines' acting cultural attache in Shanghai, Gerard Panga, explains by e-mail: "We are assessing the situation, with high hopes that everything will normalize at the soonest possible time."

Panga adds a media statement will be released afterward.

Allan Lieberman, who owns the Spider House Resort in the Philippine's Boracay, says he hasn't perceived a decline in Chinese tourists. Instead, he has noticed two new Chinese cruise ships docking on the beach a month.

The Canadian sent his son and daughter to study Chinese in Beijing and aspires to open a Chinese-language school on the island to cater to the throngs who, including the mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong, comprise the plurality of visitors, he says.

"I've discussed (the school) with other resort owners, and they see it as a necessity," he says.

Xu points out that while many Chinese are seeking new regions after experiencing their first international excursions in Southeast Asia, many are returning.

"They're revisiting the same Southeast Asian locations," he says.

"Before, it was from a sightseeing perspective. Now, they're on their second visits, going deeper into the cultures."