Beijing, 11 March 2023 (TDI): China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the addition of 40 new destinations to its outbound group travel market. The proper action for the announcement would be effective from March 15th.
Also, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism circular on Friday specified the countries where travel agencies and online tourism service providers could offer group tours.
Therefore, the list includes France, Greece, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and Brazil. The circular also mentioned that relevant airline ticketing and hotel booking services would resume, signaling a further opening up of the travel industry in China.
As per the online travel platform Tongcheng Travel, the announcement resulted in a 77 percent jump in searches for outbound travel.
Additionally, the number of tourist visa inquiries to related countries has spiked more than four times. The most popular destinations are Vietnam, Italy, Serbia, France, and Spain.
China’s Tourism Market during COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted China’s outbound group travel market in early 2020. However, the country has optimized its pandemic response & rolled out a pilot program to resume outbound travel to the first group of 20 countries starting from February 6th this year.
Also Read: UNWTO: Chinese tourism crucial for global recovery
More importantly, the expansion of the number of destinations indicates that China’s overseas tourism industry has been recovering quickly in the past month, which is good news for countries that are relying on the return of Chinese tourists to boost their economic recovery.
Therefore, It is notable that this announcement is a positive development for the global tourism industry, as it opens up new opportunities for businesses and travelers.
The move is expected to bring a significant boost to the worldwide economy and signal the beginning of the end of the pandemic’s impact on international travel.
Lastly, it is critical that travel agencies and online tourism service providers adhere to COVID-19 guidelines to ensure the safety of travelers and prevent the spread of the virus.
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