The Ministry of Culture and Tourism in China has announced the expansion of the country scale of the outbound team business, allowing travel to popular destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Australia, and Sweden. This announcement has sparked a surge in interest in outbound travel, as travel agencies report a significant increase in inquiries and bookings.
After three years of the pandemic, the reopening of outbound travel has brought excitement to both tourists and tourism practitioners. Travel agencies in Hangzhou have been flooded with calls inquiring about tour packages to destinations like Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto in Japan, and Australia for the upcoming National Day holidays.
The decision to expand the list of pilot outbound group tour countries to 138 has led to increased optimism among those in the tourism industry. Many travel agencies are now busy preparing new products and routes in anticipation of the surge in demand for travel to Europe, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
The focus on Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand is due to their proximity, convenient visas, and the fact that these countries are experiencing their peak tourist seasons in the second half of the year. The opening of travel to these destinations is expected to greatly boost local tourism.
The news of the reopening of international cruise lines has also generated excitement. Cruises departing from home ports in Japan and South Korea, which are popular domestic cruise destinations, can now resume operations. Emma, who is in charge of Royal Caribbean Cruises, expressed her joy and revealed that new product lines mainly directed towards Japan and South Korea are being studied.
The announcement by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has already had a significant impact on the travel industry. Ctrip, a leading Chinese online travel agency, reported that the search volume for outbound travel products increased by more than 20 times immediately after the announcement. Group travel products to Japan, Australia, and New Zealand have seen a surge in popularity.
Experts believe that the expansion of the list of countries with group tours will accelerate the recovery of both supply and demand in the travel industry. Senior researcher Xie Xiaoqing from Ctrip Research Institute predicts that the upcoming National Day Golden Week will be a key observation period for the industry’s performance.
The recovery of the outbound travel market can also be seen in the increased number of international air ticket bookings and visa consultations. Chinese travelers, eager to explore the world again, have been booking flights to popular summer destinations like Japan and South Korea, with bookings increasing tenfold compared to earlier this year.
Türkiye tourism has also seen a surge in interest, with the number of consultations increasing by more than 10 times. Tongcheng Travel, another leading Chinese travel platform, has added popular road travel products in Turkey to meet the growing demand. Visa consultations for Turkey have nearly tripled compared to the same period last year.
Despite the steady recovery, challenges still exist, such as uneven distribution of flight capacity and visa availability. However, with the further optimization of cross-border travel policies, the pace of recovery is expected to accelerate. The tourism services industry will need to keep up with the demand as travelers eagerly plan their trips.