China lifted a ban on group travel to 138 countries, including the US, UK, Australia, South Korea and Japan, in a major relaxation of travel restrictions that could boost the global tourism market. Tourism and travel stocks in the region surged.
The resumption of group tours will start immediately on Thursday, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The easing applies to all travel agencies and online platforms across the country, it said.
The move could accelerate a recovery in the global tourism industry, which has been sluggish amid a slow rebound in flight capacity to and from China, one of the largest sources of tourists before Covid.
The complete list of 138 countries and territories
1. Asia (33)
Batch 1 (10): Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Laos, UAE
Batch 2 (11): Nepal, Brunei, Vietnam, Mongolia, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia
Batch 3 (12): Oman, Pakistan, Bahrain, South Korea, Qatar, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Japan, Turkey, Israel, India
2. Africa (28)
Batch 1 (3): Egypt, Kenya, South Africa
Batch 2 (7): Tanzania, Namibia, Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia, Senegal
Batch 3 (18): Algeria, Ethiopia, Benin, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Cape Verde, Ghana, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Rwanda, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sao Tome and Principe, Tunisia
3. Europe (41)
Batch 1 (3): Russia, Switzerland, Hungary
Batch 2 (11): Serbia, Croatia, France, Greece, Spain, Iceland, Albania, Italy, Denmark, Portugal, Slovenia
Batch 3 (27): Ireland, Estonia, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Germany, Finland, Netherlands, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Romania, Malta, Monaco, Norway, Sweden, Cyprus, Slovakia, United Kingdom
4. North America (14)
Batch 1 (1): Cuba
Batch 2 (5): Panama, Dominican, El Salvador, Dominica, Bahamas
Batch 3 (8): Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Costa Rica, the United States, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica
5. South America (10)
Batch 1 (1): Argentina
Batch 2 (3): Brazil, Chile, Uruguay
Batch 3 (6): Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
6. Oceania (12)
Batch 1 (2): New Zealand, Fiji
Batch 2 (3): Vanuatu, Tonga, Samoa
Batch 3 (7): Australia, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Federated States of Northern Mariana Islands, French Polynesia, French New Caledonia
