The Thai resort of Pattaya that was once teeming with the flags of ever-present Chinese tour groups, Guangzhou natives Huang Hubin and Huang Junjie were enjoying the freedom of their first holiday since China dropped its pandemic travel curbs.
By booking independently, Hubin and Junjie, a marketing manager and a music producer both in their mid-20s, were liberated from the strict schedule of a guided tour, which before the pandemic was the main form of mass tourism from China to Thailand. More than 10 million Chinese tourists visited in 2019.
Younger, armed with apps and with more than enough funds to go it alone after three years at home, so-called free and independent travellers (FITs) like the Huang cousins are back across Southeast Asia, seeking adventure, local food, the chance to hype their social media and take a little risk beyond the confines of a tour.
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