Editor's note: The orderly and rapid recovery of China's outbound group travels shows the vitality and potential of China's economy, which will help revitalize the global tourism market and boost consumption in tourist destinations and overall economic growth prospects. Four experts share their views on the issue with China Daily.
(SHI YU / CHINA DAILY)
The United Nations World Tourism Organization released the 2023 World Tourism Barometer report recently, which said that despite the many economic, public health and geopolitical challenges, the global tourism industry will see a strong recovery this year. The international tourist arrivals worldwide may recover to 80-95 percent of the pre-pandemic level, depending on the global economic recovery, growth of tourism in the Asia-Pacific region, the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other factors.
That China saw a travel peak during the May Day holiday, with about 274 million domestic trips and a boom in outbound travel, shows that the country will play a key role in the recovery of the global tourism industry. The estimated figure for domestic travel represents an increase of more than 120 percent year-on-year and is close to the 2019 level.
A report by Tuniu, a Chinese travel portal, said that foreign destinations including Thailand, New Zealand and the Maldives remain popular choices for Chinese travelers, adding that some destinations in Africa and Europe, such as Egypt and France, also saw increased visits with improved airline capacities thanks to China's optimized COVID-19 management policy.
The report also said that the lifting of COVID-19-related travel restrictions in China, the world's largest outbound market in 2019, is a significant step and will help the tourism sector's recovery in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.
In the short term, the resumption of outbound tourism is particularly beneficial for the recovery of the tourism sector in Asia. In 2019, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand was about 10.98 million, accounting for 7.1 percent of the total outbound tourists for the year and 30 percent of the total number of international tourists visiting Thailand.
Within a month of the lifting of pandemic-related restrictions, the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand showed an explosive growth. The increase in the number of Chinese tourists applying for visa on arrival in Thailand was three-fold year-on-year and those buying Thai products tenfold year-on-year. Multiple departments, including the Thai Ministry of Public Health, Tourism and Sports, have said that Chinese tourists are gradually returning to Thailand.
China has been the world's largest outbound tourism market for several years. In 2019, the number of outbound Chinese tourists was 169 million, who accounted for nearly one-fifth of the total global tourism expenditure. Take Kenya for example. A country with excellent nature reserves rich in wildlife, Kenya saw a significant increase in the number of Chinese tourists before the pandemic. In 2019, about 80,000 Chinese tourists visited Kenya, making China the fourth-largest source of tourists for the country. Several Kenyan tourism department officials have said that the resumption of China's outbound tourism will inject new vitality into the global tourism industry and help boost Kenya's tourism sector.
No wonder Kenya has been trying to further tap into the vast Chinese market by offering customized services and innovative products to attract more Chinese tourists.
The resumption of outbound group tours from China will not only help the recovery of and revitalize the overall tourism industry but also further expand the business of travel agencies. Outbound tourism is critical to the health of travel agencies and online tour companies. But when resuming outbound tourism services, travel agencies should assess the market situation and upgrade their services and be prepared to meet the personalized demands of tourists.
Also, tour operators and travel agencies should realize outbound tourism will not recover overnight, and the speed of recovery depends on a variety of factors including flight capacity, visa policies, the pandemic situation in destination countries and consumer willingness.
First, for outbound tourism destinations, the authorities have allowed travel to some countries to assess the reality of the situation, but there are still some drawbacks in terms of tourist visa policies that need further adjustment.
Second, in terms of transportation, the recovery of the aviation sector is subject to multiple factors such as market demand, capacity allocation and flight routes, which require time.
Third, the recovery of the global supply chains, too, will take time. For example, during the three years of the pandemic, a large number of hotel and travel agency workers left the profession so many businesses need fresh talents, which again is a time-consuming process.
Also, the demands of Chinese tourists are changing. Nowadays, tourists are more willing to explore new destinations, prefer customized and independent travel or boutique group tours, and pay more attention to hygiene and the quality of tourism-related products.
In order to seize the opportunities offered by the tourism industry's recovery, enterprises need to adapt to the changes, upgrade the travel products, innovatively develop overseas tourism services and products, and provide customized, high-quality services for tourists.
And travel agencies should keep track of the policies related to travel to overseas destinations and epidemic prevention and control, provide security guarantee for tourists traveling overseas, and create an environment for safe travel.
Jiang Yiyi is the deputy head of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University.
Gao Ziyi is a postgraduate student at the same university.
The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.
