China cut itself off from the world in 2020 under a strict zero-Covid strategy, using visa suspensions and lengthy quarantines to curb the importation of virus cases into the country.
Thursday’s announcement is the latest step towards reopening, after the Chinese government abruptly dropped its lockdown measures in December.
“From now on, travel agencies across the country and online travel agencies will resume their overseas group travel business” in more than 70 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a statement. statement.
Among many others, the listing has also given the go-ahead for travel to most European Union member states, India, Pakistan and Australia.
Australia’s inclusion coincides with a thaw in the cold between Canberra and Beijing that has dominated relations in recent years.
Last week, China announced it was scrapping additional tariffs on Australian barley imposed in 2020 at the height of a bitter dispute with the then-Conservative government over issues including China’s influence operations. China abroad.
“Positive role”
Chinese tour groups had already received permission to visit a small number of countries earlier this year under a trial program, including tourist magnets Thailand, Italy and France.
The Tourism Ministry said on Thursday that outbound tourism has grown steadily since the start of the trial period, “playing a positive role in promoting tourism exchanges and cooperation.”
China had the world’s largest outbound tourism market in 2019, with mainland Chinese residents making 155 million outbound trips that year, according to consultancy McKinsey.
That outflow has dwindled to a trickle over the past three years as Chinese authorities have limited passport renewals and cut international flights in a bid to deter travel.
“At present, international passenger flights continue to resume and Chinese people’s desire to travel abroad is increasing,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
In early December, Chinese authorities effectively ended the country’s regime of mass testing, lockdowns and lengthy quarantines – but the abrupt reversal led to a spike in Covid cases.
Beijing announced in late December that travelers entering the country would no longer need to quarantine from January 8, but kept visa restrictions for foreigners in place.
China resumed issuing a range of visas to foreigners in March, but inbound tourism remains at a fraction of pre-pandemic levels.
