The Netherlands has tripled its May 2019 China visitor numbers
WTTC Forecast: Global tourism will set a new record in 2024
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) predicts that the global tourism industry will set a new record in 2024, contributing an estimated $11.1 trillion to the global economy. Additionally, the tourism industry will bring more job opportunities globally this year; the WTTC predicts that the tourism industry will create nearly 348 million jobs this year, 13.6 million more jobs than the travel industry peak of 2019.
May Day outbound visa transactions have exceeded the same period in 2019
Ctrip visa data shows that the number of outbound travel visas for the "May Day" holiday has been showing significant growth since late February, with a more than threefold increase week-on-week in the week following the Spring Festival. After that, the number steadily rose at a growth rate of 50% per week. The number of outbound visa applications during the "May Day" holiday has increased by more than 30% compared to last year, and the visa transaction volume has exceeded that of the same period in 2019.
Georgia received over 48,000 Chinese visitors in 2019
China and Georgia sign visa exemption agreement
Chinese Ambassador to Georgia Zhou Qian and Georgian Foreign Minister Darachashvili jointly signed an agreement on visa exemption for ordinary passport holders between China and Georgia in Tbilisi on April 10th. According to the agreement, holders of valid Georgian ordinary passports or valid ordinary passports of the People's Republic of China can enter, exit, or transit the respective countries without a visa. A single stay not exceeding 30 days, and a cumulative stay of not more than 90 days every 180 days is now visa exempt.
Outbound airfare increases by more than 200%, and May Day flight bookings increase
On April 7th, various Chinese travel booking platforms showed prices for flights to some popular outbound destinations during the "May Day" holiday surging by more than 200%. Among them, the lowest price for a direct flight from Beijing to Osaka has reached a whopping 11,065 yuan, and ticket prices to Southeast Asian destinations such as Bangkok and Singapore have also seen similar increases.
In terms of long-haul travel, the European market is booming once more, with the number of tour groups to the Netherlands and Belgium for flower sightseeing breaking through three times May 2019's numbers. Currently, the number of flight bookings for inbound and outbound routes during the May Day holiday has exceeded 560,000, and in the remaining weeks before that, the number of flight bookings will continue to rise.
Hainan's famous 108-metre (354 ft) Guanyin of Nanshan statue
Hainan to launch forex-RMB "Hainan Wallet"
Foreign currency will soon be able to be exchanged for electronic RMB via mobile phones upon entry into China, as Hainan soon looks to launch the "Hainan Wallet". As long as Alipay or WeChat can be used, payments can be made anywhere. In the first quarter, Hainan received 17.6% more tourists and its total tourism revenue increased by 32.3%. Among them, inbound tourism increased fourfold compared to the same period last year.
Air China will resume operations on April 28 for its Beijing-Madrid-São Paulo route
Air China announced that it will resume operations on the Beijing-Madrid-São Paulo route on April 28, with flight number CA897/8, departing on Thursdays and Sundays.
Beijing-Brussels-Rome route
Air China announced that it will resume operations on the Beijing-Brussels-Rome route on April 28, with flight number CA931/2, departing on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
China Southern Airlines plans to resume operations on 5 routes
These include Beijing-Brisbane, Guangzhou-Christchurch, Wuhan-Paris, Shenyang-Seoul, and Yantai-Seoul.
Hubei is famous for its important part in Chinese ancient history and its spicy cuisine
Hubei's tourism revenue reached 366.429 billion yuan in 2023
Hubei Province's total tourism revenue reached 366.429 billion yuan in 2023, an increase of 40.5% year-on-year, according to data released by the Hubei Provincial Bureau of Statistics. Hubei's total tourism revenue accounted for 5.7% of the country's total tourism revenue in 2023, ranking 10th in the country. The province's tourism revenue has returned to the level before the outbreak of the pandemic in 2022, with 7.6 million inbound tourists and 147 million domestic tourists.