BEIJING: Lin Mao, who works for a private outbound tourism agency in Beijing, decided to take a look at WeChat Moments on his phone just before going to bed on Dec 26.
He saw that the National Health Commission had announced that the quarantine requirement for international arrivals would be scrapped starting on Jan 8, when management of COVID-19 cases would be downgraded from Class A to Class B.
“Many celebratory posts suddenly appeared on WeChat. The comments were generally full of hope for new business opportunities,” Lin said. He welcomed the commission’s announcement, as his company had struggled to remain in business for the past three years.
“Now that the market has been allowed to open, it will take some time for us to develop our tourism products. I need to find out where we stand in light of the new situation and also sort out our available overseas travel resources,” Lin said.
China’s outbound tourism sector is expected to bounce back as a result of the newly adjusted COVID-19 response that lifts restrictions on Chinese citizens’ traveling overseas and also promotes cross-border personnel exchanges.
Numerous posts from netizens voicing enthusiasm for overseas travel have appeared on Chinese social media platforms, with people scouring online travel sites to search for destinations and book air tickets.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
