Chinanews.com, Beijing, February 6th (Reporter Li Jinlei) Chinese tourist groups are here!
February 6th is the first day of the resumption of the pilot outbound group tour, and the first group of group tours set off in many places.
Many starting group spots are very sought-after, and they disappear in an instant.
Chinese tourists were warmly welcomed, and many foreign officials went to the airport to pick them up.
More Chinese tourists going to the world have also injected confidence and impetus into the development of the world economy.
The first group from Shanghai to Phuket, Thailand set off.
Photo by Kang Yuzhan
Outbound group tours restart, and the first group of outbound tours in multiple places departs
Starting from February 6, 2023, China will resume the pilot program of national travel agencies and online travel companies operating outbound group tours and "air ticket + hotel" business for Chinese citizens to relevant countries.
On the same day, airports in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and other places welcomed the first batch of outbound tourist groups.
Among them, the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism stated that on February 6, there were nearly 160 tourists traveling in 6 outbound tour groups in Guangzhou.
"It's really exciting!" Zhou Weihong, the deputy general manager of Spring Tourism, who participated in the first trip to Phuket Island in Thailand at his own expense, departed from Shanghai Pudong Airport with the group at 10:00 in the morning and at 15:00 in the dual identities of tourists and tourism practitioners. Many landings in Phuket, Thailand.
"Outbound tourism accounts for a high proportion of the business of large-scale travel agencies. Its restart is a glimpse of hope and hope for tourism practitioners from the bottom of their hearts."
Luo Lan, director of the Shanghai Office of the National Tourism Administration of Thailand, said that in order to welcome the restart of outbound group tours, Thailand has made various preparations in advance to welcome Chinese tourists.
Hostesses in traditional Thai costumes warmly welcome Chinese tourists.
Photo by Kang Yuzhan
Thailand ranks No. 1 in the popularity of outbound tours
The list of countries that resumed outbound group tours this time includes Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Fiji, Cuba, and Argentina.
According to Ctrip’s data, from the perspective of registration, Thailand still ranks first in the popularity of outbound tours due to its hospitality and relatively cheap air tickets; followed by the Maldives, Hong Kong, Macau, Egypt, New Zealand, and Indonesia are also popular among tourists.
According to the same journey travel data, from the announcement of the news on January 20 to February 5, the number of consultations on outbound and group travel products increased by 358% month-on-month, and the number of visa consultations increased by 172% month-on-month.
At present, the destination countries with the largest number of consultations on group tours are Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Island holiday destinations such as the Maldives and Fiji are also popular with Chinese tourists.
Moreover, more and more tourists are beginning to plan their outbound trips in spring, among which, Qingming Festival and May 1st are currently the most inquired outbound tour group periods.
Airport map.
Photo by Gao Xin
Bookings for outbound tours are booming, New Zealand outbound tours start selling at 27,999 yuan in seconds
The resumption of a large number of international flights after the festival has provided further convenience for outbound travel, and the bookings for outbound travel products have also increased accordingly.
According to data from Ctrip, in the week after the Spring Festival, the booking volume of outbound group tours and "air ticket + hotel" package products increased by more than 3 times compared with the week of the holiday.
"This data reflects that tourists are gradually regaining confidence in outbound travel. At the same time, travel agencies have more products on the shelves, providing people with more diverse choices when going abroad." Jiang Wen, CEO of Ctrip Group Tour, said.
The demand for overseas long-distance travel is gradually picking up.
It is understood that Ctrip's first New Zealand outbound tour group departing from Shanghai on March 18, with an average price of 27,999 yuan per person, was sold out immediately after it went on sale.
On February 6, Tongcheng Travel's first outbound tour team set off from Shanghai to Thailand. It is expected to complete a 6-night and 7-day trip in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and other tourist destinations in Thailand, and then return to Shanghai.
The tour sold out quickly a week before departure.
Revitalize the global tourism market and add new impetus to the development of the global economy
China is an important source of tourists for many countries. The arrival of Chinese tourists will help increase the income of tourist destination countries, help revitalize the global tourism market, drive related employment, and inject confidence and impetus into the development of the world economy.
Yuthasak, director of the Thailand National Tourism Administration, told the media that with the orderly resumption of outbound travel by Chinese citizens, the return of Chinese tourists will help accelerate the recovery of Thailand's tourism industry and promote Thailand's economic growth.
Fang Zeqian, an industry analyst at Ctrip Research Institute, told a reporter from Zhongxin Finance that as the world's largest outbound tourism market in 2019, the return of Chinese tourists to the world will help promote a broader recovery of the global tourism industry.
In the future, with the reduction of tourism prices and clear customs clearance policies of various countries, it is believed that more Chinese tourists will go abroad to embrace the world.
Cheng Chaogong, chief researcher of Tongcheng Research Institute, believes that as the largest trading partner of many economies in the world, the full recovery of China's international travel will drive the full recovery of global business, cultural and other exchanges, and inject vitality into the recovery of the global economy.
(over)