China has lifted bans on group tours to Australia and dozens of other destinations that were named in a third batch of countries its citizens can now visit.
| China has lifted a ban on group tours to Australia as it eases travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic in what is expected to be a major boost to global tourism.the ban would also be scrapped for the United States, Britain, South Korea, Japan, India and dozens of other countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America.The lifting of the ban would take place immediately and apply to national travel agencies and online travel companies, the ministry said in a statement.
China was the world’s biggest source of tourist income before the pandemic, but the country has been slow to open its borders and its citizens are not travelling as much as before due to lack of flights, visa issues and a slowing local economy which means they have less money to spend. Tourism Australia had flagged a rise in visitor numbers once seat capacity from China returned to 54 per cent in June, or 70 flights a week. This was up from 42 per cent in May and up from about 5 per cent at the end of 2022 when China’s borders were still closed.
However, with consumer confidence weak after years of strict lockdowns and limited commercial flights, many Chinese tourists are still opting to stay at home or go to cheaper destinations such as Hong Kong and Thailand.“Chinese travellers have been returning to Australia in growing numbers since the start of the year and the return of the group travel segment will provide another important boost,” Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said on Thursday.
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