Even when the number of tourists trips recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year, holidaymakers were still spending a lot less and making shorter, local trips. - Xinhua
BEIJING (Bloomberg): Chinese holidaymakers face another holiday season ruined by virus outbreaks and controls, with the government’s stringent Covid Zero restrictions and fears of infection expected to keep many people at home during the upcoming LaboUr Day break.
Travel was already down in March, when the biggest Covid-19 outbreak in two years prompted officials to lock down major cities like Shenzhen and block or restrict road traffic to try and stop the transmission of the virus. With millions of Shanghai residents still confined to their homes and restrictions being tightened in several other cities, including in Beijing, for many people travel is on hold for now.
Government officials estimate that passenger traffic over the five-day holiday that begins on Saturday will plunge 62% from last year, road traffic will drop by half and travel by plane could slump 77%. Ctrip said about half of travel bookings made on its online platform are for short-distance trips within provinces, according to a report.
The collapse in what is usually one of the busiest tourism seasons in China is another blow to the services industries, which have borne the brunt of more than two years of domestic lockdowns and travel restrictions to contain virus outbreaks.
Even when the number of tourists trips recovered to pre-pandemic levels last year, holidaymakers were still spending a lot less and making shorter, local trips.
An outbreak forced Guangzhou Airport to cancel all flights on Friday and Saturday, according to local media Yicai. There were four cases found from testing at the airport on Thursday, according to an official briefing reported in local media.
The airport had earlier delayed some flights, a subway station there was shut, and mass Covid testing was started in three districts of the city.
For those who aren’t locked down, governments across China are going out of their way to make it difficult to move around over the holidays this year.
Authorities in Beijing, Guangdong, popular beach spot Hainan and other regions have all issued warnings to residents not to travel outside the province.
Mapping service of Baidu Inc. said travel will drop "significantly” over the holiday and local and city tours are becoming more popular.
Hotel prices in multiple cities including Jinan and Chengdu hit the lowest levels in five years, while prices of some luxury hotels in Beijing, Sanya and other cities are less than half what they were last year, according to data from Qunar, a major online travel agency.
To travel to the central province of Henan this year, people will need to take a PCR test before arriving and then two tests in the first three days after entering the province, according to a recent Global Times report.
In addition, their Covid tracing app will turn yellow, which means they won’t be able to enter shops, take taxis or enter many public spaces, and may need to stay at home or in a hotel for seven days, according to the report, which cited provincial transport authorities.
