China hosted two of its biggest tourism industry events since the nation’s reopening earlier this year. 

The ITB China travel trade show took place in Shanghai from September 12 to today, and the country’s largest online travel agency, Trip.com Group, hosted its Envision 2023 Global conference in the same city on Monday this week, where experts spoke on the travel industry’s prospects this year, and the company revealed its revenue had increased 180 percent year on year in 2Q 2023.

CEO of Trip.com Group’s flight business group Tan Yudong spoke to Jing Daily about the Chinese and global travel industry’s rebound since Covid-19, as well as China’s rising demand for flights and visas, and consumer tourism trends. 

“During the first half of this year, the travel industry rebounded quite well in China,” says Tan.  For example, flight capacity has exceeded 2019’s levels by 12 percent, he adds. 

“Customer search volume for tickets is 20 percent higher than the same period [in 2019],” he explains. “We believe this trend will continue.”

Though China is processing a backlog of visa applications – the nation’s outbound visa application platforms are grappling with a large number of residents seeking to visit international destinations such as the US, Germany and other places —  Trip.com Group is optimistic that regular travel would resume by mid-2024. 

“Destinations like Southeast Asia, Japan, and South Korea are still the top choices for Chinese travelers,” Tan says. 

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