China further expands outbound group tours

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced Thursday a significant expansion to the list of countries and regions available for outbound group tourism, increasing the number of destinations from 60 to 138. 

According to the notice, travel agencies and online tourism companies could resume their outbound group tour businesses including air ticket and hotel booking services. The newly added destinations include the U.S., Japan, the Republic of Korea, Germany, and the U.K. 

Following the announcement, data from Trip.com Group, a major Chinese online travel agency, revealed a surge of interest in outbound travel products, with searches increasing by over 20 times. Notably, tours departing during the National Day holiday in October, particularly to countries like Japan and Australia, have witnessed a sharp rise in popularity.

“The expansion will further diversify options for consumers, promoting a rapid recovery on both the supply and demand sides,” said Xie Xiaoqing, a senior researcher from the Research Institute of Trip.com Group. 

In fact, since the relaxation of cross-border policies earlier this year, Chinese travelers have been venturing globally. As per data from Trip.com Group, outbound tour bookings in July saw a month-on-month increase of 44% compared to June, boosted by the summer vacation period. Popular outbound destinations included Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Macao, Bangkok, Osaka, Phuket, Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, and London.

Additionally, outbound flights are also steadily recovering, contributing to China’s tourism rebound. Data from Trip.com Group up to Aug. 7 indicates that the average weekly volume of cross-border flights has rebounded to over half of the 2019 levels. Meanwhile, the average price of cross-border flights has dropped nearly 80% compared to the same period last year. 

According to a recent report by China Tourism Academy, a total of 40.37 million mainland tourists traveled abroad in the first half of 2023.