‘Travel may start next month’

Professor Dr. Wolfgang Georg Arlt, Chief Executive Officer, China Outbound Tourism Research Institute (COTRI), answers some key questions on outbound travel from China, where it stands today, when it is expected to pick up and how the segment of traveller

QWill COVID-19 impact China’s standing as the biggestoutboundmarket theworld?

China has retained its position as the biggest outbound travel market for quite a few years now and the COVID-19 pandemic is not going to change that. Chinese travellers would still want to travel internationally and they will start again when it is possible and considered safe.

QWhenwillnormalcy return? The whole world has been surprised by the severity of the outbreak of the virus caused mainly by the fact that carriers can infect others before or even without having any symptoms. Therefore, measuring fever, etc., did not work this time. In China, the first trips during the public holiday on April 4 saw alreadypacked tourist attractions like the Huangshan Mountain. For Asia probably, outbound travel will start next month and for transcontinental travel it will be June. In fact, for some places considered unsafe (USA, Africa), even later.

QWould this affect Chinese grouptravelinanyway? The trend to travel with the family, to travel in smaller groups, to be more interested in nature, health and the daily life of people and their culture will become visible. Big package tours will further decrease in importance.

QWhichcountriesdoyou thinktheChineseoutbound travellerwouldnowpreferto travelto?

The countries on top of the list will be South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and other neighbours. For India, it depends on how the spread of the virus develops in the coming weeks and to convince Chinese visitors that it is a safe place to visit.

QIs it possible that China’s domestic tourismwillsurgemorethan internationaltravel?

In the next few months, domestic tourism will gain in importance because of the restrictions in international border crossing and air connections. Also, it will be seen as a patriotic activity. From later in the summer, that effect should become less important. The Chinese government will not, in the long run, restrict foreign travel.