Search for foreign trips surges 10-fold soon after China eases travel bar

(Image: AP)

Largely isolated from the rest of the world for nearly three years by stringent Covid curbs, people in China flocked to travel sites on December 27 following announcement of borders reopening next month, even as rising infections continued to strain the country's health system.

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Within half-an-hour of China’s announced policy change, searches for foreign travel scaled a three-year high, Trip.com, a travel booking company said. Locals are now rushing to plan overseas trips for the Lunar New Year late in January.

The National Health Commission (NHC) on December 26 announced that the Covid-19 restrictions will be downgraded from Class A to B from the next month in the same category as less-severe diseases, such as Dengue fever.

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These announcements come at a time when the country is grappling with a sudden surge in Covid infections fuelled by the Omicron variant after the Xi Jinping regime relaxed its stringent zero-Covid policy earlier this month following a wave of anti-government protests.

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Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the US, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the UK made the list of top 10 destinations outside the mainland with the fastest-growing search volume, the company said, according to a report by CNBC. Macao and Hong Kong also made the list, which did not include any European nation.

The Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is one of the biggest public holidays in China.

Ctrip, another travel platform, found a 10-fold surge in hunt for popular cross-border destinations. Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and South Korea were the most sought after, it said.

According to a Reuters report, China's National Immigration Administration said on December 27 that it would resume processing passport applications of Chinese nationals seeking to travel abroad and approving visits of mainland residents to Hong Kong.

China will also resume the implementation of a policy allowing visa-free transit of up to 144 hours for travellers. The extension or renewal of foreigners' visas will also be restored, the immigration administration added.

The US plans to adopt new Covid-19 precautions for people traveling from China, Bloomberg News reported, citing US officials.

The government is concerned about the surge of cases in China and has raised questions about the transparency of data the country is reporting about the spread of the virus, the report said.

With agency inputs