Tourists enjoy the snowy scenery on the snow-covered ancient city walls of Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi province, on January 16, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]
The rapid recovery of China's tourism sector, facilitated by various visa-free policies and increased airline capacity, has provided momentum to the global travel industry, and China's outbound and inbound tourism market continues to grow rapidly this year. will continue to grow, the United Nations World Report said. Tourism Association.
By the end of last year, global tourism had recovered to 88% of pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Despite economic challenges and uncertainties, international tourism is on track to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, according to UNWTO's recently released Global Tourism Barometer report.
The upcoming Lunar New Year holiday will be extended from February 10 to 17, one day longer than usual, and is expected to unleash the full potential of China's dynamic travel and consumer market, according to experts. That's what it means.
“Travel has become a strict demand point for urban and rural residents seeking a better quality of life, and nothing can prevent the long-term prosperity of the tourism market and the high-quality development of the tourism industry. '' said President Dai Bing. China Tourism Academy.
The recently announced visa-free policy between China and Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia is expected to further increase international travel during the Lunar New Year holidays.
More direct flights are being launched between Chinese cities and Southeast Asia to meet growing passenger demand.
Starting Thursday, flights operated by China Southern Airlines from Guangzhou, Guangdong province to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur increased from three to four flights a day. The airline's flights from Guangzhou to Bangkok now cover different times throughout the day, increasing from four to five flights a day.
Additionally, Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines is cooperating with local governments by holding various activities to bring more overseas Chinese residing in Southeast Asia back to China for extended holidays, the airline said. Ta.
Additionally, Scoot, the low-cost arm of Singapore Airlines Group, said its 30-day visa-free policy between China and Singapore, scheduled to start on Friday, has given travelers more options to explore the world. Stated. The airline, which operates direct flights between 17 mainland Chinese cities and Singapore, is fully confident in the growth potential of China's air travel demand.
“China has always been an important market for Scoot, with flights connecting Chinese cities accounting for a quarter of our global network. With the implementation of a visa-free policy between China and Singapore, The demand for air flights between the two countries is expected to grow even stronger,'' said Li Yongxin, general manager of Scoot China and vice president of sales at Scoot.
Meanwhile, in late November, China imposed a 15-day unilateral ban on ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2024. Announced visa-free entry policy. Since then, global searches for inbound travel to China have increased significantly.
The International Air Transport Association announced that the recovery in air travel continued in December, bringing total traffic in 2023 closer to pre-pandemic levels.
According to IATA, which represents around 300 airlines, total air traffic (measured in revenue passenger kilometers) in 2023 increased by 36.9% compared to 2022. Globally, full-year traffic in 2023 returned to 94.1% of 2019 pre-pandemic levels, according to IATA. 83% of the world's air traffic.
Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region last year reported a 126.1% increase in international passenger numbers for the full year compared to 2022, maintaining the highest year-on-year growth rate of any region, according to IATA.
Willie Walsh, IATA Director General, said: “The strong post-pandemic recovery continued into 2023. As people travel for business, education, hard-earned holidays and more, the recovery in connectivity will continue to drive the global economy. It is the driving force behind this.”
zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn
