China urges travellers to exercise caution when swimming, snorkelling
With a reputed 6.5 million Chinese tourists overseas to celebrate the Lunar New Year, safety is top of mind for officials.
The foreign ministry revealed nearly 700 Chinese citizens were killed while holidaying abroad last year.
The biggest cause was drowning, the ministry said.
"Compatriots heading abroad, especially those going to Southeast Asian countries, must pay special attention if they’re in the water. Tourists must make sure they have the skills to take on water sports like snorkelling and they need to be well equipped to avoid accidents," said Yang Shu, deputy director of the ministry’s emergency call centre for consular protection and services.
The comments were made after announcing seven tourists from China drowned in Thailand in January alone.
Authorities recently launched a water safety awareness campaign in the Maldives aimed at Chinese travellers after a spate of drownings there too.
Yang said road traffic accidents were the second major cause of fatalities overseas and urged all travellers to exercise caution when renting vehicles and to follow all local driving rules.
The government had 70,000 requests for overseas assistance last year as 131 million Chinese citizens travelled abroad.
During the current festive period, the top draws for Chinese tourists are Thailand, Japan and Singapore.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements