[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] Group tours for Chinese tourists will resume for the first time since COVID-19 on the 6th. With the Chinese government partially allowing overseas group travel for its citizens, overseas travel is expected to surge in the future.
According to the state-run Global Times, affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper People's Daily, travel agencies are rushing to prepare for the resumption of overseas group tours.
A travel agency official told Global Times, "The first overseas trip of 2023 is a 5-night, 6-day group tour from Shanghai to Phuket, Thailand, starting on the 6th," adding, "The product sold out on the day it was launched due to its affordable price and convenient visa services."
Chinese online travel agency Trip.com (Chinese name Xiecheng) has released over 700 tour products to 15 major cities worldwide. A Trip.com official said, "Many Chinese restaurants overseas closed and local guides changed jobs due to COVID-19, so it will take time for the market to recover," adding, "Group travelers will increase significantly by March."
Although China has partially resumed overseas group travel, it appears that there will be no Chinese group tourists visiting Korea for the time being. Last month, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism's General Office announced 20 countries where travel agencies nationwide can resume group tours and 'air ticket + hotel' package products, excluding Korea, Japan, and the United States. This is interpreted as a retaliatory measure following visa restrictions due to strengthened quarantine measures for arrivals from China.
The industry believes that group travel approval for Korea will only be possible after resolving the visa issuance restrictions between the two countries, which arose from the explosive increase in COVID-19 cases in China. Accordingly, Thailand and Vietnam are expected to benefit from the restrictions on group travel to Korea and Japan.
Recently, on the 1st, Lee Chang-yong, Governor of the Bank of Korea, said at a seminar jointly hosted by the Bank of Korea and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry that regarding China's reopening (resumption of economic activities), "If many Chinese tourists come to Korea, it will help improve the current account balance."
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