Authorities on Friday restored group tour services for inbound tourists in an attempt to invigorate the economy and promote exchanges through tourism.

The decision was outlined in a circular released to the public by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which said that travel agencies across the country and online booking services were allowed from that day on to organize group tours serving foreigners visiting China and offer relevant services such as booking hotels and plane tickets.

Half an hour after the news was announced, the search of inbound air tickets on Ctrip increased by over 200%.

According to the latest data from Ctrip, from January to March this year, the overall bookings for inbound travel increased by 46% year-on-year, with inbound airline ticket bookings increasing by 168% year-on-year and the average price decreasing by 31%. Inbound hotel bookings increased by 27% year-on-year, and the average price of it decreased by 14% year-on-year. According to data from FlightAi, a market insight platform of Ctrip, as of March 30, the number of inbound flights in April recovered to over 30% of 2019, and the search volume on Ctrip increased by 370% year-on-year. In addition, the average price of a one-way inbound flight including tax reached about 2,500 yuan.

According to previous data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, among inbound foreign tourists in 2019 (including border travelers from neighboring countries), Asian travelers accounted for 75.9%, American traveler 7.7%, European travelers 13.2%, Oceanian travelers 1.9%, and African travelers 1.4%. According to the relevant public opinion survey, the top 10 sources of inbound tourists in 2019 are Japan, Australia, South Korea, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, and Malaysia.

Since the beginning of 2023, as China's economic situation continues to improve, international business travel has seen a strong recovery, with major Chinese cities becoming major destinations for foreign travellers, laying a good foundation for the recovery of inbound tourism. According to the analysis of Ctrip Research Institute, the gradual synchronization of the recovery of outbound and inbound tourism is conducive to the international competitiveness of China's tourism industry in the "post-pandemic era". Relevant Chinese tourism enterprises will be able to gain a larger share of the recovery dividend of international travel worldwide.

入境游政策再放宽，入境机票搜索热度半小时增长超两倍

3月31日，文化和旅游部发布通知，即日起恢复全国旅行社及在线旅游企业经营外国人入境团队旅游和“机票+酒店”业务。

记者了解到，消息公布后半小时，携程平台入境机票搜索热度环比增长超200%。

据携程最新数据，今年1-3月，入境游整体订单预订量同比增长46%，其中入境机票预订量同比增长168%，均价降低31%。入境游酒店预订量同比增长27%，酒店预订均价同比降低14%。根据携程旗下FlightAi市场洞察平台数据显示，截至3月30日，4月入境航班架次恢复至2019年三成以上，携程平台搜索量同比增长370%，入境航班单程含税均价为2482元。

根据文化和旅游部此前数据，2019年入境外国游客人数中（含相邻国家边民旅华人员），亚洲占75.9%，美洲占7.7%，欧洲占13.2%，大洋洲占1.9%，非洲占1.4%。根据相关民意调查报告显示，2019年中国入境游十大热门客源地分别为：日本、澳大利亚、韩国、美国、加拿大、英国、泰国、菲律宾、柬埔寨、马来西亚。

年初以来，随着我国经济形势持续向好，国际商务旅行迎来强劲复苏，中国主要城市迅速成为外国旅行者的主要目的地，为入境旅游的恢复奠定了良好的基础。根据同程研究院分析，出境游与入境游复苏进程逐渐同步，有利于“后疫情时代”中国旅游业国际竞争力的提升，相关的国内旅游企业将能够从全球国际旅行的复苏红利中获得更大份额。

文｜羊城晚报全媒体记者 刘星彤
图｜OTA供图
通讯员｜李栋 饶思碧
翻译｜刘佳慧