Last Update: January 29, 2023, 11:25 AM IST
Before making any concrete preparations for this season, those thinking of taking a vacation should consider the rising COVID-19 cases.
As of January 12, government data reports that approximately 60,000 individuals who were infected with COVID-19 died while hospitalized. However, this serious health crisis did not deter tourists from the country.
China opened the door to COVID-19 infection when it abruptly abandoned its strict zero-COVID policy. After these restrictions were lifted, there was a spurt in the number of cases mainly caused by the Omicron variant. Reuters quoted a leading government scientist as saying that more than 80 percent of the country’s 1.4 billion people have been infected. As of January 12, government data reports that approximately 60,000 individuals who were infected with COVID-19 died while hospitalized. However, this serious health crisis did not deter tourists from the country.
The frenzy that ensued after being away from traveling for a long time has ensured that China’s most beautiful destinations are inundated during the Spring Festival holiday. There were about a quarter more trips than last year’s Lunar New Year holiday. It is a week-long celebration of the Chinese New Year, which marks the start of a new lunar calendar year and traditionally includes family reunions, gift-giving, and traditional customs and festivals. This year, cross-border travel more than doubled in the first six days of the break.
The report noted that statistics from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism pointed to a total of 308 million tourism visits within China during this holiday period. This marked a 23.1 percent increase from the previous year’s holiday and an 88.6 percent increase in the number of visits made in 2019.
The financial benefits of this leisure travel boom are also clear. Revenue generated from domestic tourism stood at 375.84 billion yuan, or 73.1 percent of the revenue generated in 2019. Even cross-border travel saw a significant increase, with the National Immigration Administration (NIA) reporting that the first six days of the holiday saw a total of 2.39 million trips made out of China and into China. There was an increase of 123.9 per cent as compared to the same period last year. It is clear that the travel industry in China is well on its way to recovery.
The increased travel could strain existing health care infrastructure and exacerbate one of the world’s largest Omicron outbreaks. A willingness among the public to brush aside concerns about COVID-19 in favor of travel may be an early warning sign of the situation going forward.
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