Trip.com Group expects a surge in demand for outbound travel from China once COVID-19 restrictions ease, but in the meantime is focusing on “personalized” packages for domestic tourism.

Travel company Trip.com Group expects a surge in demand for outbound travel from China once COVID-19 restrictions ease, but in the meantime is focusing on “personalized” packages for domestic tourism, its CEO said on Wednesday.

Travel within China, which has severely restricted international travel, rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in terms of number of trips taken during the five-day Labour Day holiday that began May 1, but revenue lagged levels in 2019 before the pandemic.

Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com, the country’s biggest online travel services company, said Chinese tourists are more inclined to travel in smaller groups with family or close friends, instead of with dozens of strangers.

“They are also more interested in choices that are more personalized and flexible,” she told a Reuters Newsmaker event.