Green light for inter-provincial group tours

Inter-provincial group tours halted by the novel coronavirus outbreak can now resume, while the ban on inbound and outbound tourism remains, according to a notice released by China's cultural and tourism authorities on Tuesday.

The green light also covers air tickets plus hotel packages by travel agencies and online travel operators, while such businesses are banned for group tours to domestic areas with medium and high coronavirus risks, the notice issued by China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism states.

Tourist attractions are ordered to keep the number of visitors below 50 percent instead of an earlier 30 percent, and should take measures such as reservations and visitor number control when opening indoor venues, according to the notice.

Travel agencies should keep epidemic prevention as a priority and work out contingency plans before conducting group tours, according to the notice. They should strictly control the number of tour group members and ensure routes and schedules to prevent mass gatherings.

Small-scale tour groups are recommended, according to the notice.

Travel operators are required to conduct safety assessments and enhance data analysis to ensure trips are safe and orderly, according to the notice.

Travel agencies should prepare sufficient disposable face masks up to medical use standard as well as temperature measurement equipment, disposable gloves, hand sanitizers and disinfectant, and remind tourists to keep prevention measures in mind, according to the notice.

They should register tourists’ details before trips are taken, and tourists are ordered to display their health QR code before applying and have a double check before they participate in group trips.

Travel agencies should remind tour suppliers to maintain ventilation and disinfection measures and require tourists to wear masks when taking public transport.

In the event of a suspected case in tour groups, the tour must be halted and travel agencies report to authorities and cooperate in screening and prevention measures.

Information about all tour groups must be recorded in the nation's tourism supervision and management service platform with electronic versions of files uploaded, the notice requires.

Meanwhile, operators of tourist attractions should beef up cleaning and disinfection, and disperse tourist flow in areas such as major sightseeing spots, sightseeing platforms, transport pick-up points, narrow passages, ticketing and catering venues that may lead to congestion, the notice says.

The practice of using one set of chopsticks to take food from communal dishes and another set to eat with should be promoted during tours and emergency drills conducted to eliminate safety hazards, according to the notice.

During the flood season, enhanced safety checks on cable cars and amusement facilities are ordered, and travel agencies should follow weather forecasts closely and avoid organizing tour groups in areas with serious flooding. 

Shanghai Spring Tour has already unveiled a variety of tour itineraries on receiving the resumption notice from the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism yesterday.

“I have been expecting this day for a long time ... I am very excited about the news,” said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of the travel company. “We have designed nearly 10,000 tour itineraries based on Spring Airlines routes, ranging from parent-child tours and recreational vehicle tours to trips for shutterbugs.”

Most tours involve trips to destinations such as Gansu, Xinjiang, Ningxia, Qinghai, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan, said Zhou.

“The coronavirus has not only changed the travel habits, but has also reshaped the design and operation of agencies,” said Zhou. “The reservation mechanism makes tour experience better and boosts the tour’s service quality.”

Shanghai-based online travel giant Trip.com said the instantaneous search figures of domestic group tours and independent tours surged 500 percent on its website after the news, spurring tourism eagerness among Chinese tourists.

The search also involved holiday resort, hotel and air ticket sections on the website, it said.

The travel operator said it would launch about 120,000 group, independent, and tailor-made tour packages.

The resumption of holiday travel will help boost the confidence of tourists and travel companies, Trip.com said. A recent survey found 88 percent of respondents were keen to try out trans-provincial tours this year, a record high.