Strengthening ASEAN-China Tourism: New Initiatives for Seamless Travel and Experience

Published on December 1, 2025

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has developed tourism partnerships with China through cross-cultural travel collaboration. This new alliance will help facilitate the flow of tourists from China to the member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This travel collaboration will help meet the travel demand from China to the ASEAN countries.

Tourism has been the primary focus of the ASEAN-China collaboration. The two regions have tourism potential that can be maximised with coordinated tourism strategies. From the ASEAN member countries, travellers will be able to go to different destinations, while China—which has a large outbound tourism market—will be the main source of travelers. With China and ASEAN working together, the regions can expect more tourists, new tourist attractions, and closer cultural relations.

ASEAN-China Tourism Initiatives

ASEAN and China have introduced several activities designed to facilitate travel, promote marketing collaboration, and improve tourism infrastructure. One of the main features of this collaboration is the introduction of streamlined visa policies, such as the introduction of visa-on-arrival and visa exemptions for travelers from China coming to the ASEAN region. With these policies, travel to Southeast Asia will be more accessible—especially for tourists from China.

Besides visa reforms, joint marketing initiatives targeting Chinese tourists intending to travel to ASEAN region will be developed by both parties. These initiatives will promote the ASEAN member states’ cultural diversity, landscapes, and contemporary attractions. For instance, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore will gain the most from the initiatives due to the Chinese tourists targeted marketing for each of these countries’ unique offerings.

The collaboration also entails boosting air travel between ASEAN and China. The introduction of additional air services, increased operational coordination between air carriers, and an increase of available seats on nonprofit direct flights are expected to enhance the affordability and ease of travel between the two regions. ASEAN and China are intending to enhance the number of tourists, decrease travel time, and increase the accessibility for the exploration of both regions by improving the air travel.

The Chinese Tourists Phenomenon in ASEAN

Chinese nationals are an emerging travel market segment for Southeast Asian countries. Countries in Southeast Asia are attracting millions of Chinese tourists yearly. Tropical beaches, cultural, and historical sites and vibrant urban centers of ASEAN countries are particularly attracting Chinese travelers. The business and leisure travel in the region are highly supported by popular urban centers such as Singapore and Bangkok and tourist artifacts such as Bali.

Chinese outbound tourism has been on the rise, owing to the size, affordability, and the proximity of Southeast Asia. New policies and initiatives by the ASEAN members to attract the Chinese tourists also mean new opportunities for businesses in the accommodation, travel, and trade sectors.

Currently, Thailand remains one of the most popular Asian countries frequented by Chinese tourists, mainly because of promotional activities focused on the country’s cultural values, picturesque, and luxurious resorts on the coastline. Other countries like Vietnam and the Philippines have also gained interest and positive attention from the Chinese for their beautiful landscapes and historic cultural sites.

ASEAN countries also promote travel to China, encouraging their tourists to visit. Chinese tourists to the ASEA countries have been the largest foreign tourist group, impacting the tourism and travel activities in the region.ASEAN countries promote travel to China by positioning it as a cultural and historic destination with landmarks including the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army in Xi’an and the modern sites of Shanghai. Chengdu with its famous pandas and cultural activities in Beijing also promote visitors to China.

Tour operators across the ASEAN region differentiated their products marketed to China to include a mix of classic and modern attractions. To target modern tourists to the region, ASEAN markets historical China, China’s diverse culture, and its natural landscapes.

Cross-Cultural Exchanges and Collaborative Events

In parallel to the expanded travel opportunities, the ASEAN-China Partnership embraces the integration of cultures, especially through new festivals and events. Increasing understanding and appreciation of the art, culture, and cuisine of each region is the focus of the festivals and the food fairs. These activities integrate travel to a more complete experience and provide opportunities for both tourists to ASEAN and China.

One of the initiatives to foster integration of the cultures is the ASEAN-China Tourism Cooperation Year, designed to promote understanding and collaboration to include culture and travel. This initiative, which is structured to balance the attractions of tourism and travel, occurs annually.

Effects on Tourism and Economic Development in the Region

The streamlining of tourism relations and ties between ASEAN and China is beneficial for the growth of the economy in the region. Tourism is an important economic activity in the two regions and takes a lead in employment, infrastructure growth, and the development of local businesses. Collaborative efforts between the ASEAN countries and China will help grow the tourism sector and provide avenues for the region to sustain itself economically.

For ASEAN, the partnership is aimed at diversification of tourism China is perceived to be a major source of high spending tourists. There will be a significant contribution to the economy of the local region in hospitality, retail and entertainment as the tourists are known to spend considerably more than other regions in Southeast Asia.

For China, the ASEAN countries and region provide a diverse and exciting range of destinations for its expanding middle class, packed with affordable and unique travel opportunities. Increased outbound tourism to the ASEAN region from China facilitates the development of other sectors of tourism within the country. There are numerous opportunities for tourism-related exports within tourism, which include domestic travel and accommodation, air travel and unique local experiences.

Looking Forward: Improving Partnership in the Tourism Industry of ASEAN & China

It is predicted that the partnership of ASEAN and China in the tourism industry will continue to strengthen, with even more initiatives being envisioned to improve tourism collaboration. The sustainable and mutually constructive tourism ecosystem being created is focused on adapting to the target markets’ travel needs and facilitating economic development.

Integrating tourism with ASEAN and China will be anchored on improved international accessibility, cross-border collaboration, and focused tourism promotion. The more integrated partnership gets, the more seamless the travel experience between the two regions will be.