China lifts bans on group travel to Germany, US, others

China on Thursday lifted COVID-19-related travel restrictions that barred group tours for a number of countries worldwide.

"From now on, travel agencies across the country and online travel companies will resume operating outbound group tours" to more than 70 countries, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a statement.

The decision means Chinese tourists traveling in groups can now visit countries like the United States, Germany, Japan and South Korea, among other places.

It's the latest move towards reopening after China abruptly reversed course and abandoned its "zero-COVID” strategy — involving strict lockdowns and draconian travel controls — at the end of last year.

It was China's third list of countries to receive approvals.

The first batch approved in January included 20 countries such as Thailand, Russia, Cuba and Argentina. The second batch in March included 40 countries, among them Nepal, France, Portugal and Brazil.

China's Tourism Ministry on Thursday said outbound tourism had been developing in a stable manner since the start of the trial period, "playing a positive role in promoting tourism exchanges and cooperation."

How will it impact the tourism industry?

The move will likely give a boost to the global tourism industry, as crowds of well-off and ready-to-spend Chinese tourists could return to destinations around the world.  

In 2019, for instance, the year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, mainland Chinese tourists spent more than any other country's tourists while traveling abroad.

Their total spending amounted to about $255 billion (€231 billion), with group tours estimated to account for nearly 60% of that, according to business consultancy McKinsey.

Chinese tourists are known to spend lavishly on hotels, tours, souvenirs and designer brands.

Despite high expectations, it's unclear just how much outbound Chinese tourism will bounce back.

There were mixed reactions to the news on Chinese social media. While some posted comments saying that they weren't enthusiastic about international travel, others were more upbeat.

International flights in and out of China have recovered to only 53% of 2019 levels as of July.

sri/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters)