China has resumed outbound tourism after downgrading COVID-19 management measures from Class A to B starting on Sunday. The global tourism market has responded warmly to this change and actively welcomed Chinese tourists.

According to Ctrip data, as of Jan 5, overseas travel orders for the seven days during Spring Festival had surged by 540 percent and the average order cost had increased by 32 percent over the same period last year. It is expected that overseas tourist destinations will welcome a large number of Chinese tourists during the holiday.

Industry experts predict China's move will boost the development of global tourism and stimulate economic recovery, as well as promote people-to-people exchanges.

Brighter prospects for tourism

According to United Nations World Tourism Organization, China was one of the world's major outbound tourism contributors before the outbreak of the pandemic. The optimized COVID-19 policy will have a positive impact on the development of tourism in China as well as the world.

Steve Saxon, who leads McKinsey's Travel, Logistics & Infrastructure Practice in China, said China averaged about 12 million outbound air passengers per month in 2019, and predicts that figure will recover to about 6 million per month by the summer.