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Lunar New Year
China

China’s domestic travel takes off, but foreign visitors yet to make a comeback

  • Tourism reports show steady recovery of in-country trips after Covid-19, but international arrivals will take longer
  • Chinese traveller numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels but more people are taking shorter journeys within their own provinces

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The state-affiliated China Tourism Academy predicts Chinese nationals will make up to 6 billion trips this year, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Photo: Xinhua
Hayley Wongin Beijing
China expects domestic travel frequency and revenues to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, but international arrivals will take longer to recover, according to a state-affiliated research institute.

A report released on February 1 by the China Tourism Academy (CTA) predicts Chinese nationals will make as many as 6 billion trips this year, about the same as 2019, though they are expected to travel shorter distances.

While domestic travel is experiencing a steady recovery since the lifting of stringent Covid-19 restrictions, only 50 per cent of the international arrivals seen in 2019 are expected to return next year, the CTA report said.

Revenue from domestic tourism is expected to bounce by 23 per cent to 6 trillion yuan (US$839 billion) from 2023 to 2024 – exceeding the 5.7 trillion yuan (US$796 billion) revenues achieved in 2019.

Tourism in China has been recovering since December 2022, when the country’s zero-Covid policy was dropped, with the number of in-country trips last year returning to about 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

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Lunar New Year rush under way in China with more travel overseas and to major domestic cities

Lunar New Year rush under way in China with more travel overseas and to major domestic cities

The ongoing Lunar New Year – when tens of millions of Chinese travel to their hometowns for family reunions – has also seen a robust rebound in domestic passenger traffic.

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