The pent-up demand for travel is going to be further unleashed in the foreseeable future with the improvement of the COVID-19 situation in various countries, which enables global tourism to expect a recovery, according to Qian Jiannong, board chairman and chief executive officer of Fosun Tourism Group (FOLIDAY).

(Photo/fosunholiday.com)

Although the pandemic situation can be uncertain, hopes of tourism recovery are certain, Qian said, explaining that COVID-19 has mainly impacted the structure of tourism products but hardly affected medium and high-end products.

“FOLIDAY has witnessed a rapid recovery of business in the Chinese market. Our business rebounded in Hainan province first, with the Atlantis resort in Sanya receiving more guests last month than it did in the same period last year,” Qian disclosed.

On July 19, FOLIDAY, the travel and cultural arm of Shanghai-based conglomerate Fosun International, officially launched its tourism brand Thomas Cook in cooperation with British travel group Thomas Cook Group, which has nearly 180 years of history.

“The Thomas Cook app has been downloaded more than 170,000 times over the past two months. On Sept. 16, Thomas Cook Group was relaunched as a brand new online travel agency in the UK,” Qian shared, saying that FOLIDAY will continue to seek more resources overseas for cooperation.

Most foreign tourists come to China for sightseeing, while the number of foreign visitors who come for a leisurely vacation is nearly zero, said Qian, explaining that the phenomenon is mainly caused by the structure of Chinese tourism products.

“Therefore, we must upgrade leisure tourism products and resorts. In addition to good hotels, we should also have a good cultural atmosphere and better marketing and services,” Qian suggested.

As a global leader in the leisure tourism industry, FOLIDAY owns world-famous self-owned brands including global leading resort brand Club Med, the world’s first tourism brand Thomas Cook, Atlantis Sanya, and tourist destination complex Foryou Town.

Frequent major moves and innovative products of the group have injected fresh vigor into China’s cultural and tourism industry and made FOLIDAY an emerging leader in tourism culture.

The efforts to support the development of the Thomas Cook brand in China represent a major step of FOLIDAY’s global journey, according to Qian, adding that the popularity of the Thomas Cook digital lifestyle platform will further consolidate the ecosystem of FOLIDAY.