The Chinese tourists everyone expected stayed in China

27-07-23

It stayed in China.

That was the question on the minds of many in the travel industry following the surprise announcement of China's reopening in the final days of 2022.

Many assumed that a torrent of travellers would queue up to venture out of China after three years of harsh pandemic lock-in policies.    

However, many residents stayed at home, either because they wanted to or because it was too difficult and costly to leave the country.

According to Wolfgang Georg Arlt, founder and executive director of the China Outbound Tourism Research Institute, the lack of affordable flights and long waiting times for overseas travel visas have slowed the recovery of Chinese outbound tourism.