Tourists eager to spread their wings again (3)

Passengers queue up to go through entry procedures at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in east China's Shanghai, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

"As there have been a lot of staff changes in the travel industry over the past three years, we need to strengthen our destination knowledge training.

"Our strength has always been in experiencing the outdoors, and judging by the shift in China's domestic travel trends over the past three years, Sweden will now be more attractive to Chinese visitors."

According to the Annual Report on China's Outbound Tourism Development (2022-23) recently released by the China Tourism Academy, the nation's outbound tourism took a hit from 2020 to last year, with 400 million trips lost.

The report said restarting outbound tourism will effectively restore tourists' confidence and contribute to a quick recovery in this market.

Feng Rao, head of a research institute at Chinese travel service and social networking platform Mafengwo, said the new COVID-19 measures will release three years of pent-up desire for overseas travel.

The upcoming Spring Festival holiday is expected to be a key turning point for China's outbound travel industry, Feng said.

Given the high number of potential Chinese tourists, the outbound travel recovery is expected to play a key role in boosting domestic and global tourism markets.

In 2019, Chinese citizens made 155 million outbound trips, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

That year, Chinese travel agencies' operating revenue from outbound travel services reached 214.56 billion yuan ($30.8 billion), accounting for 41.54 percent of their total tourism revenue, according to the ministry.

The huge potential of China's outbound tourism market has resulted in numerous countries laying down the welcome mat for Chinese arrivals.

Lin Jiaze, director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand's office in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, said business operations at the Thai embassy in Beijing and Thai visa centers elsewhere in China have returned to normal.

He said he is happy to see many Chinese travel agencies already offering deals to Thailand.

Before COVID-19 emerged, Chinese tourists accounted for one-third of inbound tourists to Thailand.

Over the years, China and Thailand have worked to publicize tourism, and six months ago, Thailand stepped up cooperation with airlines and related tourism players.

On Jan 9, Thailand welcomed its first group of Chinese tourists since the pandemic emerged, after local authorities removed the vaccination requirement before entry.

Anutin Charnvirakul, deputy prime minister and minister of public health, said visitors who are not vaccinated will also be granted unrestricted entry.

Thailand is offering visitors a longer period of stay. Effective until March 31, this period is extended from 30 to 45 days for tourists from countries and regions that qualify for visa exemption. For those eligible for a visa on arrival, the period is extended from 15 to 30 days.