ASTANA – Chinese tourism to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan surged, with flight bookings doubling compared to last year over the New Year period, according to leading online travel platform Qunar.
Photo credit: Gajus/Shutterstock.
While Seoul remained the most popular foreign destination for Chinese travelers, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Georgia showed notable growth, driven largely by the introduction of visa-free access for Chinese citizens, reported Kazinform on Jan. 7.
Inbound tourism also rose sharply, particularly in Hainan Province, where the launch of independent customs operations last December boosted arrivals. The cities with the highest growth were Sanya, with bookings increasing fivefold, and Haikou, which saw a threefold rise. Key source countries for Hainan visitors in early January included Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Australia, and Russia.
