Chinese Buyer Data: Malaysia, Dubai Win During Chinese New Year; U.S., Japan, Europe Lose

Chinese New Year 2026 is set to trigger a sharp re-routing of Chinese outbound travel, and boost housing investment.

KUALA LUMPUR, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, February 25, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Chinese New Year 2026 is set to trigger a sharp re-routing of Chinese outbound travel, with Malaysia, Dubai, Singapore, and Thailand capturing a disproportionate share of holiday visitors. Meanwhile, travel to the United States, Japan, and Europe will decline during the February holiday.

The shift in tourism will also boost housing investment towards these open, short-haul markets in the months after the holiday, said Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group CEO Kashif Ansari in comments released today.

......Overview......

“Malaysia is the biggest winner in our forecast,” said Mr Ansari, “followed by Dubai, Singapore, and Thailand. Of these countries, the greatest number of Chinese visitors will travel to Malaysia, while the biggest spenders will head to Dubai.

“On the other hand, destinations for which the Chinese government has issued travel advisories will see sharp declines in Chinese New Year visits. In particular, that means the USA and Japan. Chinese New Year travel is especially sensitive to travel advisories because no one wants to take risks with their big family holiday of the year.

“Chinese visits to Europe will be down. Europe is a desirable destination, but higher costs and longer travel times, as well as the fact that winter is typically the off-season for travel there, will dampen Chinese visitor numbers this New Year holiday.

“All four of the winning destinations this holiday season offer visa-free access to Chinese short-term visitors, family-friendly pricing, and, in the case of the Southeast Asian nations, short flight times.

“Southeast Asia already captures 46% of Chinese traveller intentions, according to recent consumer surveys, led by Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Europe gets only 10% and the UK only 5%.

“Data from Flight Manager, a Chinese aviation data and flight-tracking platform, shows that almost half of Chinese flying overseas during the Chinese New Year will be going to Southeast Asia, while the number of mainland Chinese flying to Japan will be down more than 40% year-on-year.”


......Home Buying Context......

Mr Ansari said, “Chinese New Year is the most concentrated period of international travel in the Chinese calendar. About 3.8 million Chinese went abroad during the 2025 Lunar New Year holiday.

“Tourism and home buying are closely linked, but they are not one-for-one. Instead, the markets Chinese families visit most also tend to be the top markets for housing, whether for a second home, student use, or a long-term base.

“Chinese purchasers typically make multiple in-person visits before completing a foreign home purchase and use holiday trips to assess neighbourhoods, schools, safety, and lifestyle fit. As a result, markets that attract higher volumes of Chinese visitors during major holidays such as Chinese New Year consistently see more transactions in subsequent months.

“For Chinese New Year 2026, we expect the same directional pattern in housing enquiries as in tourism: stronger interest in Southeast Asia and Dubai, and softer momentum for the U.S., Japan, and Europe.”


......Malaysia......

“I'd like to look at each of these destinations in more detail, starting with Malaysia,” said Mr Ansari.

“We expect Chinese travel to Malaysia during Chinese New Year 2026 to increase by around 30% to 50% compared with 2025. Malaysia will be one of the strongest global beneficiaries of the holiday period, in part because of the government's Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign, which has already proven successful.

“Malaysia welcomed 1.4 million Chinese visitors in the first four months of 2025, whichis a 38% year-on-year increase. Authorities have set a 2026 target of 10 million Chinese visitors, up 43% from 2025.

“Visa-free access, a four-hour flight time from much of China, and a bilingual Chinese–English environment further lower barriers to travel.

“We believe Malaysia fits Chinese New Year travel patterns unusually well. It works for multigenerational families, offers strong food, shopping, and cultural experiences, and has invested heavily in promotion through Chinese OTAs, airlines, and influencers.

“Chinese also lead foreign real estate investment in Malaysia and are the most numerous participants in the long-term residency visa programme and account for 57% of MM2H visa holders.

“We expect the holiday uplift in visits to translate into a higher volume of housing enquiries and inspections through Q1, even if transaction completions follow later in the year.”

David Platter
DAVE PLATTER PTY LTD
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