International destinations thrilled to welcome back Chinese tourism
CGTN
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Soon after China downgraded its COVID-19 management measures, many Chinese tourists embarked on outbound travels. Many tourism destinations are thrilled to welcome them back.

A Thai official gives a garland to Chinese tourists as they arrive at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Samut Prakarn province, Thailand, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023. (Photo: CFP)

"Egypt welcomes tourists from China with open arms, Chinese tourists are very important for the revival of Egypt's tourism industry!" A travel agency manager in Egypt told Guangming Daily.

Tourism is an important economic pillar and source of foreign exchange earnings for Egypt. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, tourism in Egypt has been hit hard, and the performance of the travel agency has dropped sharply.

"China's announcement that it will resume Chinese citizens traveling to qualified countries gives us hope. The Chinese-speaking guides of the travel agency will soon resume work. I look forward to Chinese friends visiting Egypt as soon as possible," the manager said.

According to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), before the outbreak, China was one of the world's leading consumers of outbound tourism. The optimized and adjusted epidemic prevention policy will have a positive impact on the development of China and the global tourism industry.

It is expected that during the Spring Festival this year, overseas tourist destinations will welcome a large number of Chinese tourists going abroad.

According to Trip.com, China's major travel booking agency, as of January 5, overseas travel orders during the 7-day Spring Festival surged by 540 percent compared with the same period last year, and the average order cost increased by 32 percent year on year.

Among them, orders for travel to Melbourne, Australia during the Spring Festival increased by more than 50 times year on year, and travel orders to Bangkok, Thailand increased by more than 10 times.

"Cambodia welcomes Chinese tourists."Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said that Cambodia is expected to receive two million Chinese tourists this year, which will drive the rapid recovery of Cambodia's economy.

China is Thailand's largest source of tourists. The Tourism Authority of Thailand stated that the return of Chinese tourists will further boost Thailand's tourism industry. It is estimated that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Thailand will reach 300,000 in the first quarter of this year, and the number of Chinese tourists received throughout the year will reach five million.