Dragon Trail International’s (DTI) newest Chinese Traveller Sentiment Report on the Labour Day public holiday shows significant changes in safety perceptions since its September 2025 findings, with Thailand regaining ground but Japan seeing a decline.
Director of marketing and communications Sienna Parulis-Cook said during an April 22 webinar that the fallout from a diplomatic incident with Japan in November 2025, followed by a Chinese government travel advisory, showed safety perceptions suffering a bigger decline compared with the Gulf countries despite the ongoing conflict.
Japan’s “safe” rating is the lowest since China reopened for international travel in 2023, with its rating falling from 57 per cent in 2025 to 37 per cent in the current survey.
While this has had less impact on younger travellers for 2026, older travellers and those travelling with children view Japan as “unsafe”.
Parulis-Cook noted: “On the other hand, Thailand has improved and has moved up the rankings seven places… and at the top of the chart, Hong Kong, Switzerland and Singapore are still seen as the three safest destinations on our list.”
The good news for Thailand, she added, is that it has recorded its highest “safe” rating in the past five years, while the “unsafe” rating is the lowest DTI has seen over the same period, indicating the destination’s image has recovered from the kidnapping incident involving a Chinese actor at the beginning of 2025.
Thailand’s “unsafe” rating has dropped from 48 per cent to 34 per cent in the current survey, according to DTI.
On traveller behaviour trends, DTI market research analyst Janice Meng said spending on experiences and activities is set to grow, with younger travellers driving budget increases across all categories, including shopping and accommodation.
Meng said more than half of respondents (56 per cent) would spend more on experiences and activities, and a further 49 per cent would increase budgets for dining.
As for the rising trend of wellness travel, DTI’s survey showed a willingness to pay a premium, with 39 per cent willing to pay up to five per cent more and 31 per cent between 10 and 20 per cent more.
China’s Labour Day holiday, DTI shared, is usually a peak time for outbound trips, particularly within Asia.
Consumer desire for outbound travel remains stable, with increasing intention to travel to South-east Asia.
The survey of 1,038 respondents comprised 53 per cent female and 47 per cent male travellers who showed interest in travel and have prior travel experience.
