Restrictions on domestic group tours lifted
Print Edition
CHINA has lifted a 172-day ban on inter-provincial group tours but the restrictions on overseas travel groups remain, authorities announced yesterday.
The nod for domestic travel covers air tickets and hotel packages by travel agencies and online travel operators, but remain banned for group tours to domestic areas with medium and high coronavirus risks, the notice issued by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism says.
Tourist attractions have been told to keep the number of visitors below 50 percent instead of the previous 30 percent, and should follow health-related measures such as reservations and the limits on visitors for indoor venues.
Travel agencies should make epidemic prevention a priority and work out contingency plans before conducting group tours, the ministry statement said.
Travel operators are required to conduct safety assessments and enhance data analysis to ensure the trips are safe and orderly.
They should register tourists’ details before the trips are taken. Tourists also have to display their health QR code before applying for the trip and will need a double-check before going for group trips.
In the event of a suspected case in the group tours, the trip must be halted and travel agencies must report to authorities and cooperate in screening and prevention measures.
Information about all tour groups must be recorded in the nation’s tourism supervision and management service platform and electronic versions of the files uploaded, the notice requires.
During the flood season, enhanced safety checks on cable cars and amusement facilities have to be carried out, and travel agencies should follow weather forecasts closely and avoid organizing tour groups in areas with serious flooding.
Shanghai Spring Tour has already unveiled a variety of tour itineraries on receiving the resumption notice from the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism yesterday.
“I have been expecting this day for a long time ... I am very excited about the news,” said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of the travel company. “We have designed nearly 10,000 tour itineraries based on Spring Airlines routes, ranging from parent-child tours and recreational vehicle tours to trips for shutterbugs.”
Most tours involve trips to destinations such as Gansu, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, said Zhou.
“The coronavirus has not only changed the travel habits, but has also reshaped the design and operation of agencies,” said Zhou. “The reservation mechanism makes tour experience better and boosts the tour’s service quality.”
Shanghai-based online travel giant Trip.com said the instantaneous search figures of domestic group tours and independent tours surged 500 percent on its website after the news, spurring tourism eagerness among Chinese tourists.
The search also involved holiday resort, hotel and air ticket sections on the website, it said.
The travel operator said it would launch about 120,000 group, independent, and tailor-made tour packages.
The resumption of holiday travel will help boost the confidence of tourists and travel companies, Trip.com said. A recent survey found 88 percent of respondents were keen to try out trans-provincial tours this year, a record high.
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