Travellers from a Xiamen Airlines flight arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on January 9, 2023, as China removed Covid-19 travel restrictions. Photo: VCG

China's outbound travel enjoyed a long-awaited boom during the 7-day Spring Festival holidays, with cross-border ticket orders surging fourfold and outbound travel orders soaring 640 percent from last year's same period, according to a spokesperson from the Foreign Ministry.

Mao Ning, the spokesperson, said during a press conference on Monday that many countries and regions are warmly welcoming back Chinese tourists.

She cited some examples, such as Switzerland's ski resort Jungfrau decorating their cable car stations with red lanterns and traditional ornaments related with Chinese Year of the Rabbit, as well as airports in Indonesia's tourism site Bali Island arranging Lion Dance, a custom in Chinese culture.

Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other senior officials attended a welcome ceremony for arriving Chinese tourists at the airport, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

"During this Spring Festival holidays, the world has seen a vibrant and happy China," Mao said, revealing that more than 2.87 million Chinese people have traveledabroad during the Spring Festival holidays, up 120.5 percent compared with the last Spring Festival holidays.

The outbound travels rebound came almost immediately after China reopened its borders and dropped strict COVID restrictions in December.

And the market is expected to rebound further as China's travel agencies resume outbound group tours for the first time in almost three years from February 6.

The Global Times learned from Spring Tour, a major travel agency in China, that it will fly two tour groups to Thailand on February 6. One day later, a group tour organized by online travel agency Trip.com Group will also fly to Bangkok, according to a statement sent by the company to the Global Times.

Other sectors also witnessed a rapid recovery during the holidays. For example, China's box office during the holidays exceeded 6.7 billion yuan ($993 million) as of press time, the second highest result in domestic box office history.

"Both the tourism and consumer spending boom reflect the Chinese people's yearning for a better life and their confidence in the development of the country. They also reflect the strong power of China's economic recovery and the significance of China's economic recovery to the world," Mao said.

Global Times