Skift Take
Chinese travelers are set to takeoff. But before booking, they're double-checking that visa policies are relaxed enough.
Outbound travel from China to the Middle East reached pre-pandemic levels during the Chinese New Year period, according to data firm ForwardKeys.
The Egyptian capital of Cairo experienced a 7% increase in Chinese arrivals compared to 2019.
Data on flight tickets issued until February 13 suggests that travel to Africa and the Middle East could reach 95% of pre-Covid levels by March 31.
Source: ForwardKeysChinese online travel platform Qunar also noted that search volumes for countries in the Middle East such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt have surged since last December.
In December, China Eastern Airlines became the first carrier from the co