More Chinese tourists are expected to travel overseas during next week’s extra-long Lunar New Year break, with top destinations ranging from Russia and Australia to Thailand and South Korea, travel agencies say, but Japan has lost some sheen.

Flight attendants have come under fire in South Korea after a photo showing dozens of unattended bags taking up seats at a Starbucks outlet circulated online, igniting debate over improper use of café space.

Authorities in Thailand’s popular tourist island Phuket are stepping up oversight of motorcycle rental operators as part of a broader push to curb unlicensed and dangerous riding by foreign visitors.

A Scoot flight from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore was canceled after a technical fault was detected before departure and could not be fixed in time.

Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, recorded 4.1 million foreign arrivals from Jan. 1 to Feb. 8, down 10.77%, generating an estimated 207.06 billion THB (US$6.65 billion) in revenue, according to the latest update by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Thailand, the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, ranked fourth in a list of 10 best countries for retirement thanks to its low cost of living and quality of healthcare, according to the 2026 ranking released by France-based website Retraite sans Frontières.

Sun Group has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Dubai-based Sunset Hospitality Group (SHG), selecting Phu Quoc as the first destination for collaboration. The agreement aims to introduce new dining and entertainment concepts to Vietnam’s tourism market.

Sun Group announced on Feb. 12 that it has transferred the management and operation of Yoko Onsen Quang Hanh to Hilton, a global hospitality group, marking a new chapter in Quang Ninh’s four-season wellness tourism development strategy.

Concerns over overcrowding and safety at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU), two of Asia’s leading universities, have largely abated after measures were introduced to manage tourist visits.

Thailand welcomed the highest number of Indian tourists in Southeast Asia with 2.48 million arrivals in 2025, followed by Malaysia (1.57 million) and Singapore (1.21 million), according to data from tourism ministries.