China Tourism Leans on Cross-Province Group Tours as Bellwether of Recovery
Photo Credit: Domestic travelers at Yu Gardens in Shanghai before Covid-19. Will there be as many? Photo courtesy of Abercrombie and Kent
Skift Take
China has allowed cross-province group tours to resume, with conditions. Sold in a flash is an understatement. But will all go well? This will be the test towards full recovery of its travel market.
A three-night luxury private group tour of Qingdao, a seaside city in Shandong province ideal for summer vacation because of its Tsingtao Beer, fresh seafood and clean reputation, sold out on Ctrip in 10 seconds, following government announcement on the evening of July 14 that cross-province group travel could resume as of July 30.
It's mind-boggling that a group could be assembled in just 10 seconds, but pent-up demand creates the implausible and this is another confirmation of how bottled up Chinese are about travel. It augurs well for its next phase of domestic market recovery and raises hope that Chinese overseas travel could be next, or at least within sight.
China's deliberate and guarded travel unlocking is also a template that is being watched for any lessons it may provide, as frustrations mount over jagged reopenings with even success stories such as Vietnam being stymied by a new surge of cases.
The resumption of group travel between provinces, cities and district
