Int'l travel booms during National Day holiday

China began to gradually resume outbound group tours for Chinese citizens on a trial basis in February. To date, destinations of China's pilot program of outbound group tours have increased to 138 countries and regions. Outbound tours will soar during the first long holiday after the basically comprehensive opening up of the outbound tourism market, according to data on several tourism platforms. 

Photo Credit: Beijing Business Today 

Boosted by the list of the third-batch outbound group tour destinations, tourist routes in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) and Europe have become popular. The trend of recovery is most obvious in the European tourism market. Tourism orders for the China National Day holiday have increased nearly 20 times year on year, with Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the UK as popular destinations, according to Ctrip. BRI partner countries have turned out to be popular tourist destinations during the China National Day holiday. When compared with the same period before the COVID-19 outbreak, the increase of group tour orders was highest for Uzbekistan, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Sri Lanka and Kenya. 

Photo Credit: people.cn 

The 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) took place in Beijing from September 2 to September 6. The year of 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The Eighth Colourful World - Cultural Exhibition of Countries along the Belt and Road (hereinafter referred to as the "Colourful World"), themed "Ten Years of Cooperation, Mutual Learning, and Future Creation", was held at the thematic exhibition area of culture & tourism services of the 2023 CIFTIS, with a total of 33 foreign embassies in China participating in the event. 

In the exhibition area of the Republic of Fiji, visitors rushed to take photos with a young man wearing a locally traditional grass skirt and holding a spear. In the exhibition area of the Republic of Uganda, a great variety of African soapstone handicrafts were particularly popular. Refrigerator stickers with design elements of BRI partner countries, such as Russian dolls, Thai elephants and Syrian ancient castles, sold well. Mongolia, Ghana and other countries also gave ethnic song and dance performances with their own distinctive features. 

Photo Credit: www.Chinanews.com

In his speech, Xu Hejian, deputy director general of the Publicity Department of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and director general of the Information Office of Beijing Municipality, said that the "Colourful World" is an exhibition area with most international elements in the Fair. It has built a bridge for closer people-to-people ties and serves as a platform that combines different features for BRI partner countries. 

This year's "Colourful World" launched the first "Colourful Journey", a promotion focusing on the natural and cultural scenic spots, featured tourist activities and Internet-famous sites in BRI partner countries. Customized tourist routes for the "Colourful Journey", introduction roadshows for culture & tourism and cultural exchange activities were held, providing visitors with an opportunity for further understanding countries along the Silk Road. During the event, foreign embassies in China promoted their unique cultural products, and held cultural exchange meetings and other exchange activities on the main stage.