The first batch of outbound tourists after optimizing the policy:
After buying a high-priced air ticket and landing in Thailand, I found that the local prices have risen
"It can be said that coming to Thailand this time is a 'silky exit'. As long as the preparation procedures are prepared in advance, the exit from China and entry into Thailand will be smooth." On December 30, 2022, Yao, a Shanghai resident who has landed in Bangkok, Thailand said the lady.
On the evening of December 26 last year, the National Health and Medical Commission issued the "Overall Plan for the Implementation of "Class B and B Controls" for Novel Coronavirus Infection", requiring an orderly resumption of outbound travel by Chinese citizens.
The next day, the National Immigration Administration announced that starting from January 8, 2023, the acceptance and approval of ordinary passports for Chinese citizens traveling abroad and visiting friends will be resumed in an orderly manner, and the processing of visas for mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong for travel and business will resume in an orderly manner.
After the optimization and adjustment of the entry-exit policy, many residents who have plans to travel abroad have begun to "ready to move", and some people have already packed their bags and set off to travel to some countries and regions with lower thresholds and easier visa processing.
However, after investigation, the reporter found that compared with before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic three years ago, the current conditions for traveling abroad are far from being "smooth".
High air ticket prices, difficulties in obtaining tourist visas, and lack of basic services for Chinese tourists have all become obstacles.
"However, it is a general trend to let go of overseas travel. I believe that after a period of recovery, it will return to its original state." A staff member of a travel agency in Beijing said.
/ Waiting and watching travel enthusiasts/ After traveling abroad before the epidemic, they are now struggling with high-priced air tickets
On the evening of December 26 last year, Mr. Guo, who lives in Beijing, took out his mobile phone and inquired about the air ticket from Beijing to Okinawa, Japan just after seeing the news released by the "Class B Pipeline".
Mr. Guo is 37 years old and has always liked to travel. When he was in college, he set a goal for himself - to visit all the provinces in the country before the age of 30, and to go to one country a year on average after the age of 30.
"If I live to be 80 years old, I can go to 50 countries, which will be rich enough." Before that, Mr. Guo has been to Nepal, Russia, Egypt, Vietnam and other countries and regions, but the sudden outbreak of the new crown epidemic three years ago, The travel plan that Mr. Guo made was interrupted.
Okinawa, Japan is the destination Mr. Guo plans to visit in February 2020.
At the end of 2019, he booked all the itineraries, including visas, air tickets, hotels, local diving experience, and chartered tours. However, with the rapid development of the new crown epidemic, Mr. Guo had to cancel the itinerary.
So when Mr. Guo saw the news on December 26 last year that the new crown virus infection had been adjusted to "Class B and B control" and that the exit policy had also changed, he quickly turned on his phone and checked the air ticket to see if he could get rid of his previous regrets. Make up.
But Mr. Guo found out after a round of research, at least in the short term, traveling abroad is still a hassle.
"First of all, the air ticket price is very high. The round-trip air ticket I booked from Beijing to Okinawa in 2019 will have a transit in Shanghai, which only costs more than 2,000 yuan, and the transit time is very short; but now from Beijing to Okinawa needs to transit in Tokyo, a one-way ticket The price is nearly 4,000 yuan, and it takes 12 hours to wait for a connecting flight." Mr. Guo also found that he used to book local hotels, chartered cars, phone cards and other items and products online, but now, there are very few businesses that provide these services online. few.
In addition, Japan has recently adjusted its policy of restricting travelers from China.
According to the official website of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, all passengers entering Japan without a valid vaccination certificate are required to submit a "nucleic acid test negative certificate within 72 hours before departure" to the quarantine station. If they cannot provide a valid vaccination certificate or test certificate, they will not be able to Entering Japan, at the same time, from 00:00 on December 30, 2022 (Japan time), people who have been to China (except Hong Kong, China and Macau, China) within 7 days and have direct flights to Japan from China (excluding Hong Kong, China and Macau, China) Passengers, regardless of whether they hold a valid vaccination certificate or a pre-departure nucleic acid test certificate, need to complete the landing test.
"I plan to wait and see for a while, and wait for the air ticket price to drop and various travel services to improve before going. I have waited for three years, and I don't care about waiting for a few more months." Mr. Guo said.
After inquiring, the reporter found that taking Beijing as an example, the one-way air ticket to Malaysia, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries and regions is usually around 3,000 yuan, while to Paris, France, Rome, Italy and other places, the one-way air ticket generally exceeds 5,000 yuan and most flights require Turned around multiple times.
There is still a big gap between the current air ticket price and the convenience of flying compared with three years ago.
/ The first batch of outbound tourists / After landing in Thailand, they found that some local prices have risen
In addition to Japan, South Korea, India, Italy and other countries and regions have also recently set restrictions on inbound tourists from China.
At present, because Thailand has not set restrictions on nucleic acid testing for Chinese inbound tourists, and has implemented visas on arrival for eligible Chinese tourists, Thailand has also become the first choice for many Chinese tourists to travel abroad recently. Embark on a journey to Thailand.
"I landed in Bangkok from Shanghai via Hong Kong on December 30 (2022)." Ms. Yao, who works in Shanghai, told reporters that she saw that Thailand allowed Chinese tourists to sign on arrival and finally decided to go.
"Because it happens to be the New Year's Day holiday, and I have taken a few days of annual leave, and I am in the tourism industry. I want to go to Thailand to connect with a local tour group for follow-up business, and take a trip by the way."
But compared to the air ticket prices before the new crown epidemic, Ms. Yao spent several times the "high price" this time.
Ms. Yao still remembers that when she went to Thailand the cheapest time was only 1,000 yuan for a round trip three years ago, but this time she spent nearly 6,000 yuan for a round trip air ticket.
Ms. Yao said that before exiting the customs, you need to complete the entry-exit health declaration on your mobile phone, and you can complete it according to the guidelines, and there is no need to check the nucleic acid.
After a connecting flight, Ms. Yao landed in Bangkok on the evening of December 30 (2022). She submitted the visa application form, passport, hotel reservation, return air ticket and visa-on-arrival fee to the staff.
"To be honest, I'm still a little nervous. This is the first time I've gone abroad in three years," Ms. Yao said.
However, to Ms. Yao's surprise, it only took her more than 20 minutes to complete the process of applying for a visa on arrival and exiting the customs.
Ms. Yao is familiar with Bangkok because she has been to Thailand many times before the epidemic.
After three years, the speeding motorcycles on the street and the bustling people on the roadside made her feel both familiar and strange.
"I took a taxi from the airport to the hotel. The taxi driver said that he seldom met Chinese tourists these years, but recently, it is obvious that there are more people coming from China to play." After arriving The next day, Ms. Yao did not go to the scenic spots, but went to a barbecue restaurant she had visited a few years ago with a "nostalgic" mood.
"The taste is the same as I remember. When I took the first bite, I felt like a lost life came back." Of course, compared with the past, there are very few Chinese tourists in the restaurant now.
"In the past, half of this barbecue restaurant was filled with Chinese tourists at noon, but now there are more locals and tourists from other countries."
Another feeling of Ms. Yao is that the price of local goods has increased compared with before, such as meals and special products sold by local hawkers.
Local friends also told her that the consumption of hotels and restaurants in Bangkok has increased in recent months.
/ Overseas Travel Practitioners/ I have gone to Thailand in advance to connect with business, and it will take time for outbound travel to resume
Ms. Yao told the reporter that she can indeed see some recent Chinese tourists in Bangkok, but she feels that most of them went there with "work tasks".
Those who went with "work tasks" included Ms. Zhou, a tourism practitioner.
On December 20 last year, Ms. Zhou had arrived in Bangkok.
Before the outbreak of the new crown epidemic, she was in charge of the business connection between a travel agency in Xi'an and a local travel company in Thailand.
"(Last year) in mid-December, we predicted that the policy on overseas travel might be loosened, so we came to Thailand in advance to connect with business. The Thai travel company we worked with before changed bosses, so we have to come to connect with new partners."
Ms. Zhou's travel agency mainly engaged in outbound travel before the new crown epidemic, especially outbound travel in Southeast Asia.
"Our colleagues said that we have recently received a lot of calls about traveling in Thailand, but now our entire route setting, tour guide recruitment, and local hotel and hotel docking projects are still being resumed. Many local partners in Thailand have lost contact. It is estimated that it will take several months to resume all businesses." Ms. Zhou told reporters.
On the plane to Thailand, Ms. Zhou had a conversation with the passenger next to her.
"She is in the purchasing business in Thailand, and this is the first time she has gone to Thailand after the epidemic, and she also wants to resume the previously interrupted business."
With the change of the "Class B and B control" policy of the new crown virus infection, major airports and airlines are also gradually resuming outbound flights.
According to news from Tianjin Binhai International Airport on December 29, 2022, scheduled passenger flights to and from Hong Kong have resumed to 8 flights per week, flights to and from Japan have resumed to 7 flights per week, and flights to and from South Korea and Singapore have resumed to 2 flights per week. There is one flight per week to and from Bangkok, Thailand, Milan, Italy, and Hanoi, Vietnam.
Juneyao Airlines announced on December 30, 2022 that starting from January 18, 2023, it will resume international passenger flights from Shanghai to Chiang Mai, Thailand, with one flight per day.
"However, there is still a long way to go before we can return to the state before the epidemic." Mr. Wu, who is engaged in outbound travel business in Beijing, told reporters that compared with Thailand's current "smooth exit", Thailand was previously a popular destination for outbound travel. Most of the destination countries and regions have certain thresholds for both exit and entry, and visa processing, domestic travel agencies and foreign reception agencies are still gradually recovering.
"To give the simplest example, you can buy phone cards from almost any country on shopping websites before, but in recent years, with the interruption of China's outbound travel, many people who do this business have changed industries, and now they want to advance in China. It is very troublesome to buy a phone card in many countries, and you can’t even find a seller.”
Chengdu Commercial Daily-Red Star News intern reporter Fu Yao reporter Wu Yang