China lifts the ban to allow group tours to return to the UK
The Chinese Central Government lifted the ban with immediate effect to enable group tours to return to the UK and Ireland and 75 other countries for the first time since the pandemic.
In 2019, China was the most valuable outbound market globally, and the second most valuable inbound market for the UK. So this is a welcome development.
The British Educational Travel Association is working with the Department for Business and Trade to bring a delegation of Chinese buyers to the UK to take part in our Youth & Student Travel Summit in Manchester on 16th October.
Statement from the Chinese Government
The culture and tourism departments (bureaus) of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government, and the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps
Since the resumption of the pilot program of travel agencies operating outbound group tours for Chinese citizens to relevant countries, the overall outbound tourism market has been operating smoothly and orderly, which has played a positive role in promoting tourism exchanges and cooperation. In order to implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and further serve economic and social development, we hereby notify the following matters concerning the resumption of travel agencies operating Chinese citizens’ outbound group tours to relevant countries and reg ions (the third batch ):
1. Schedule From now on, national travel agencies and online travel companies will be resumed to operate outbound group tours and “air ticket + hotel” business for Chinese citizens to relevant countries and regions (the third batch).
2. List of countries Asia: Oman, Pakistan, Bahrain, South Korea, Qatar, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Japan, Turkey, Israel, India
Africa: 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
Europe: 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
North America: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Costa Rica, United States, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica
South America: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
Oceania: Australia, Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, French Polynesia, French New Caledonia
