From March 3, China will resume the pilot operation of Chinese citizens' outbound group travel and "air ticket + hotel" business to relevant countries (the second batch) by national travel agencies and online travel enterprises. Since then, the number of destinations for domestic outbound tour tours has increased to 15. In addition to the outbound travel route attracting much attention, tourist visas are also a concern for tourists.
What are the ways to apply for a May Day overseas travel visa? Which countries are the easiest to get a visa for? Which countries must make an early reservation? Industry experts said: 60 of the 23 pilot countries provide visa facilitation to Chinese tourists; 13 countries support Chinese tourists on arrival or e-visas. "Tourist visa" can generally be applied for by Asian countries 15 days to 1 month in advance. "Tourist visa" for European and American countries is recommended to be processed 1-2 months in advance.
Five countries, including Vietnam and Italy, have attracted the most attention
According to the official website of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, from March 2023, 3, the second batch of outbound tourism-related business from 15 countries will be resumed on a pilot basis. A travel agency employee in Beijing told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that outbound group travel has added 40 more destinations, many countries have cancelled Chinese entry nucleic acid tests, and antigen self-tests are also used instead of nucleic acid tests when returning from many countries, which will save some costs and be more convenient.
Since March, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the European Union, etc., have officially canceled the requirements for nucleic acid testing for Chinese travelers entering the country. The Beiqing News reporter combed the news released on the official website of the Chinese embassy in many countries, starting from March 3, personnel on direct flights to China from France, Spain, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, South Africa, New Zealand, Tanzania, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries can replace nucleic acid testing with antigen tests (including self-tests with kits). This means that tourists will not have to test for nucleic acid when they return home, and they can buy kits to test antigens themselves.
Airports across Japan have increased direct flights from Chinese mainland, and everyone's entry points are no longer limited to Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya; Korean airlines are also increasing the number of flights between China and South Korea.
According to Ctrip, after the second batch of open country lists were announced, the search volume of some countries increased by more than 300% month-on-month. The number of hits on special pages related to Tongcheng travel outbound travel increased by 77% instantly, and the number of tourist visa inquiries to relevant countries also increased rapidly, with an instantaneous increase of more than 4 times. Among the second batch of outbound destinations, Chinese tourists are most concerned about Vietnam, Italy, Serbia, France and Spain.
Fliggy data shows that within an hour of the policy release, the search volume of international air tickets on the platform increased by 185% instantly. Qunar data also shows that at present, China has direct flights to Greece, Spain, France, Denmark, Serbia, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Nepal, Mongolia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Italy, Portugal and other destinations, of which there are more flights to Vietnam, and the air ticket price is lower, and the air ticket price to European countries is still high.
The number of visas departing in April is gradually increasing
A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily found that 60 of the 23 pilot countries provide visa facilitation to Chinese tourists. The first batch includes four countries: Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia (with designated tour groups), Fiji; The second batch added six new countries, including Vietnam (a rich island country), Uzbekistan (must enter through Tashkent International Airport), and Armenia. In addition, 4 countries support Chinese tourists on arrival or e-visas.
According to data from various platforms, the number of visa orders for travel during May Day through Ctrip in the past half month increased by more than 2 times compared with February. According to data released by Tongcheng Travel, after the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released the second batch of lists, the number of tourist visa inquiries to 2 countries increased rapidly, with an instantaneous increase of more than 40 times. Fliggy data shows that in the past week, the number of visa searches increased by 4% year-on-year, and the number of visa applications increased by 886% year-on-year, with Japan, Thailand, the United States, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, France, Australia, the United Kingdom and the Philippines being popular visa processing destinations.
Fang Zexi, an industry analyst at Ctrip Research Institute, said in an interview with a reporter from Beiqing News that at present, the number of visas departing in April is gradually increasing. Ctrip's visa data shows that so far, the number of visa orders departing in April has increased by double digits compared to March departures. At present, the visa for May Day travel has not fully entered the peak booking period, but the growth trend is obvious. In addition to European and American countries, it is recommended to apply 4-4 months in advance, and other Asian countries can apply for 3-1 month in advance.
At present, there is a shortage of appointments in the United States and Europe
Fang Zeqian introduced that from the perspective of the difficulty of visa processing in various countries, the current appointment positions in the United States and Europe are tight, and the earliest time to make an appointment is already in mid-to-late April, and some have even made appointments until July and August. Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan in Asia (more than five years) are popular countries for visa processing, and orders can be placed at any time, and visa processing time is also within one week. Australia 4-year and 1-year visas, New Zealand 3-1 year visas, are multiple visas, and electronic materials can be uploaded and submitted, no appointment is required, and the processing time is about 5 working days is relatively stable. Text/Reporter Lin Lishuang Intern/Yang Qianwen