China's outbound tour groups to boost global tourism recovery

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism unveiled on March 10 a second list of 40 destinations to which travel agencies and online tourism services providers can offer group tours from March 15, increasing the number of such destinations to 60.

After the list was unveiled, searches for related services spiked by four times on TravelGo, a travel online platform based in China. Data provided by Fliggy, another Chinese online travel agency, showed that within an hour of the release of the list, searches for international flights soared by 185 percent.

Chinese tourists interact with Maasai performers at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, Feb. 11, 2023.  (Xinhua/Han Xu)

The list includes countries like France, Greece, Spain, Italy and Denmark, which are traditionally favorite long-distance destinations of Chinese tourists. Outside Europe, Iran, Nepal and Vietnam are popular among Chinese tourists. Data shows that Vietnam, Italy, Serbia, France and Spain receive the most attention from Chinese tourists.

Chinese citizens can fly directly to Greece, Spain, France, Denmark and Serbia, but flights to Europe are still relatively pricey. On the other hand, flights to Vietnam are below 1,000 yuan ($145) because of sufficient supply.

A number of online travel platforms have resumed providing visa services and group travel offers. Travel platforms expect to launch more outbound travel offers and flight and hotel packages after March 15.

As a new aviation season begins in March, airlines will add more flights to popular travel destinations. Prices of outbound tours are expected to soar in the forthcoming Labor Day holiday and summer holiday.

Chinese passengers are welcomed by Thai officials at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, Jan. 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

The optimization of epidemic control measures in China has boosted the cross-border travel market. Two months after the implementation of the new measures, Chinese immigration authorities have recorded 39.72 million cross-border exit and entry trips, an increase of 112.4 percent.