Chinese passengers are welcomed by Thai officials at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Samut Prakan, Thailand, Jan. 9, 2022. Thailand on Monday welcomed the arrival of thousands of Chinese tourists in its capital of Bangkok, the first group following China's optimization of COVID-19 strategy which took effect on Jan. 8.(Photo: Xinhua)

As China announced to downgrade management of COVID-19 infection and orderly resume outbound tourism for Chinese citizens, the embassies and tourism aothorities of many countries welcomed Chinese tourists, saying they have been waiting for them for three years.

The embassies and tourism authorities of France, Thailand, New Zealand, Norway, Spain and many other countries posted messages on Chinese social media platforms, welcoming Chinese tourists to visit in the next year.

The French Embassy in China posted on Weibo on Wednesday to welcome Chinese tourists: "There's no need to quarantine and the border is open. Do you want to come to France?" This was a second day in a row it posted a message welcoming Chinese tourists to France.

France is among the first countries to open its doors to Chinese tourists, and the embassy posted on Sina Weibo on Tuesday saying, "Chinese friends, France welcomes you with open arms."

The tourism authority of Thailand, another favorite destination for Chinese tourists, posted on Weibo that "the magic Thailand has been waiting for you for three years." It has also made a promise with Chinese tourists that they will meet in Thailand in 2023: "be there or be square!"

The Austrian Tourist Board attracts Chinese guests with open-air concerts at the Imperial Palace in Innsbruck and the Salzburg Harvest Festival, where they sing and dance with locals and feast on tasty dishes from farmhouses in the Alps.

China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) earlier announced to resume the processing and approval of passport and visa applications for Chinese citizens going abroad from January 8, 2023 as part of measures to improve immigration management policies, according to a newly released statement by NIA on Tuesday.

The National Health Commission (NHC) issued a notice on Monday addressing the downgrading coronavirus infections management to Class B from January 8, 2023, which proposed to ensure and promote people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries.

"We believe that COVID response measures need to be science-based and proportionate without affecting normal people-to-people exchange," said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, adding that China looks forward to further resumption of personnel exchanges between China and other countries.

Many Chinese netizens expressed their gratitude to these countries for welcoming them and said they would arrange to visit these beautiful places as soon as possible in the coming new year.

"France has a wide perspective that surpasses many other countries, and we also want to welcome French friends to visit China," said a netizen on Weibo. "I have been to France and the beautiful scenery there really amazed me. I hope to arrange a trip to see it again as soon as possible," said another netizen.

"It's hard to imagine that it's been three years and I've almost forgotten what it feels like to travel abroad," said a netizen, adding that she hopes the epidemic can be brought under control as soon as possible so that she can make a happy trip with her family and friends.

According to the Chinese online travel platform Ctrip, the number of searches for visa applications increased by 300 percent shortly after the release of the new policy on Tuesday. At present, the top 10 destinations for Chinese citizens, including Thailand, France and South Korea, have resumed visa services for jobs, tourism, family visits and business.

Global Times