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Indonesia a favorite for Chinese year-end travelers
Warm weather and pristine beaches make Indonesia an attractive destination for Chinese tourists to visit in the year-end holiday season, according to a survey.
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Bali's beaches are the top attraction on the resort island. (Shutterstock/File)
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ndonesia remains an attractive destination for Chinese tourists to visit during the year-end holiday season, according to a survey, despite the series of disasters hitting the archipelago throughout the year.
As reported by news agency Antara, a survey conducted by Chinese travel portal tuniu.com reveals that the most attractive countries for tourists from mainland China during the current year-end holidays are Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, France, Italy, Switzerland, Indonesia and Germany.
Countries in Europe are the preferred destinations for Christmas, but those who want the warmth of the sun and pristine beaches choose Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia and Thailand, especially since these countries allow visa-free entry.
Read also: Chinese tourists' favorite places in Indonesia
Indonesia remains an attractive destination for Chinese tourists, according to the survey, which shows that a series of natural disasters and a fatal airplane accident in 2018 did not deter tourists.
The Tourism Ministry, however, has fallen short of its targeted 2.6 million tourist visits from China during the period of January to October, with only 1.87 million having visited.
According to Tuniu’s survey, conducted among respondents between 19 and 35 years of age, young Chinese travelers mostly opt for holidays in the northern hemisphere, such as Finland, Norway, Iceland or Denmark. Yet some prefer to fly to the southern hemisphere for some warmth, including to Australia, New Zealand or Mauritius.
The survey also shows that 70 percent of the respondents spend only three days on their year-end vacation, typically from Dec. 30 to Jan. 1. About 64 percent of the respondents were women, most of whom said they would go on vacation with their friends or parents.
Ticket sales for the holiday season rose 30 percent in China, according to the survey, with fast trains still the main choice for domestic tourists. (liz/wng)
