China's Significant Expansion of Outbound Team Travel Destinations: Global Tourism Market Inspired by China | Team | Destinations: Global
According to a report by Efi on August 10th, China added Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Equatorial Guinea to the third batch of countries allowed to conduct outbound team tourism business.
According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, starting from the 10th, the number of countries for Chinese citizens to travel abroad as a team will increase by 78 on the basis of the first two batches of 60 countries. The first two batches of countries include Latin American countries such as Uruguay, Chile, Brazil, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and El Salvador, as well as Spain.
In addition, some of the most popular destinations for international tourists, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, will once again become the choice for Chinese tourists traveling in groups. In early February this year, Beijing reopened team tourism to 20 countries, including popular Asian destinations such as Thailand and Indonesia, as well as countries such as Cuba and Argentina.
According to reports, in 2022, Mexican Tourism Minister Miguel Toruco stated that over 170000 Chinese tourists visited Mexico in 2019, and this Latin American country aims to increase this number to 200000 in the next five years. The official said, "China has become Mexico's largest source of Asian tourists, which deeply inspires and satisfies us, and we promise to continue working hand in hand with the brotherly Chinese people."
According to Bloomberg News on August 10th, China has resumed its team travel business to multiple countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea, and Japan. This large-scale relaxation of travel restrictions will promote the development of the global tourism market. The tourism industry and travel related stocks in the region have seen a significant increase.
According to a notice issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China, team tourism services for relevant countries will resume immediately on the 10th. According to reports, this policy applies to all travel agencies and online tourism enterprises nationwide.
The report predicts that this move may accelerate the recovery of the global tourism industry. Due to the slow rebound in flight capacity to and from China, the recovery of the global tourism industry has been weak.
The report also said that tourism stocks have been climbing all the way. In South Korea, the stock price of Silla Hotel has risen by 18%, the largest intraday increase since the company went public in 1991. The stock price of team tour operator Lotte Tourism Development Company rose 29%. The stock price of Mitsukoshi Isetan Holdings, a Japanese department store, rose 5%, while Japan Airport Terminal Company rose 12%.
According to the Asahi Shimbun website on August 10th, China has suspended team tours to Japan for nearly three and a half years since January 2020. Before the epidemic, the number and consumption amount of Chinese tourists visiting Japan ranked first among all tourist source regions. With the recovery of team tours, the demand for visiting Japan is expected to further rebound.
In 2019, the number of Chinese tourists to Japan reached 9.59 million, accounting for 30% of all tourists to Japan. The consumption amount is as high as 17704 billion yen, accounting for 36.8% of the total consumption, and it is also the only source of customers with an average per capita shopping amount exceeding 100000 yen.
In June, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan has returned to 70% of pre pandemic levels, but Chinese tourists have only recovered to 20% of their previous levels. On the other hand, since the beginning of this year, the number of flights between Tokyo and Osaka has gradually increased, and direct flights connecting local cities have also shown signs of recovery.
According to a report by Kyodo News Agency on August 10th, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated on the opening of team tours to Japan by the Chinese government that he "looks forward to further recovery of tourists from China.". The Japanese Embassy in China believes that visa applications from Chinese travel agencies will increase and intends to strengthen its response.
According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on August 10th, the Chinese government has actually fully opened up group tours for Chinese citizens to travel abroad, and group tours for Chinese people to South Korea, which have been largely suspended since March 2017, have also been fully reopened.
As a result, group tours for Chinese tourists to South Korea have been fully relaxed after more than 6 years.
The report also stated that on the 10th, the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated that as China reopens its team tours to South Korea, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will launch a South Korean tourism promotion activity in China next month, vigorously attracting tourists.
According to reports, the South Korean Ministry of Culture and Sports will hold a "K-Tourism Promotion Conference" in China from September 13th to 17th, hoping to attract more tourists to South Korea during the Chinese National Day holiday.
The Brunei government held a ceremony at Brunei International Airport on the afternoon of July 1 local time to celebrate the resumption of direct flights to Beijing, China, after the COVID-19 epidemic, and warmly welcomed the first group tourists of direct flights to Beijing.
