Can foreign tourists visit China? Everything you need to know about the reopening of the country

(CNN) — It could be some good news for travelers hoping to visit China in 2023.

After a three-year hiatus from the world, Chinese authorities have announced the lifting of several major Vivid-related entry restrictions effective January 8.

Among them, China dropped quarantine requirements for all international arrivals, a major step as it moved away from its strict zero-covid policy. But who can visit?

Here, we address some of the top questions travelers may have in mind as they begin planning their 2023 trip.

Can foreigners go to China for fun now?

China is not rolling out the red carpet for international leisure tourists who want to see the country’s many attractions.

Borders remain largely closed to foreigners except for business or family visits, although the government has indicated it is looking to ease restrictions in this area as well. No time frame has been specified.

According to government notices, for now it plans to focus on facilitating visa applications for foreign nationals traveling to China for business, work, study, family visits and meetings.

“The next step is that China will start issuing visas for tourism purposes again. We don’t have an official date yet, although this is part of the official opening plan.”

“It is also very important to increase the international flight schedule, which will make it easier to reach China and also bring the flight prices that are still above the pre-pandemic levels. This has already started for some destinations – for example. between China and South Korea and many between China and Singapore Flights have already resumed.”

But it is not yet clear how fast the process will be for other destinations/routes, he added.

What are the new rules?

Nanjing Road is the main shopping street of Shanghai, China, and one of the busiest shopping streets in the world.

Tony Shea Photography/Moment RF/Getty Images

As noted, quarantine will no longer be required from January 8. (Travellers entering before that date were required to stay in hotels for five days and self-isolate for three days upon arrival.)

Passengers bound for China are now required to take a nucleic acid test 48 hours before departure. Those with negative results do not need to apply for a green health code from Chinese embassies and consulates before entry.

However, they must fill in the results in their Customs Health Declaration Forms. If they test positive, they will not be allowed to travel to China until they test negative.

Although foreign leisure tourists cannot yet visit, the changes are especially welcome for Chinese citizens studying or working abroad. Those who could not afford the expensive plane tickets and long hotel stays were unable to go home for three years.

Is international tourism good for China?

With borders open to international tourists, the question is how much demand there is for short- and long-term stays.

“This is a big unknown right now, and one of the most critical factors in the recovery of travel to China in the coming months and years,” Cao said.

“China is one of the world’s top tourism destinations in 2019, reaching 65.7 million as the Chinese government’s increasing importance of inbound tourism.”

The company expects the government to allocate more resources to promote inbound travel in the coming years, “to rebuild and expand this market, and develop new destinations and itineraries for international visitors.”

What are the current Covid restrictions in China?

China abruptly abandoned its long-standing zero-covid policy in early December following nationwide protests over its severe social and economic toll.

Authorities have rolled back mass testing, lockdowns and allowed positive patients to be isolated at home.

Mobile phone health QR codes still exist, but are not widely used for people entering public places or riding public transport.

There is technically no government mandate regarding face masks/social distancing. However, those visiting public places indoors or riding public transport may be required to wear a mask.

What is the current situation of covid in China?

There is one big shadow over China’s reopening plans – Covid-19. Cases have increased in recent weeks as restrictions have been lifted.

The epidemic has overwhelmed hospitals and mortuaries, sparked shortages of basic medicines, and raised fears of an even darker month ahead as experts warn it will spread to under-resourced rural areas in the coming Lunar New Year.

And now, with the World Health Organization accusing China of “under-representing” the severity of the Covid-19 outbreak and criticizing its “narrow” definition of what a Covid-19 death means, WHO officials are asking Beijing to share more information about the coronavirus. Explosive distribution.

Will domestic travel take off again?

Yalong Bay Beach on Hainan Island.

Anastasia / Adobe Stock

Currently, travel rates in China are low, says Cao of Dragon Trail.

But there are no restrictions on the movement of digital health codes as there were before this December. As China’s domestic market recovers, we are starting to see some hot spots emerging.

Among them is the island province of Hainan, Cao said, citing data from Chinese online travel agencies Ctrip and Qunar, both of which report high bookings and searches for flights to the island’s popular resort city of Sanya.

“Kunar’s data shows an increase in bookings from Beijing, as the first people infected with Covid-19 after the lifting of restrictions have now recovered,” Cao said.

“Looking ahead, Ctrip reports a significant increase in searches for flights to Hainan for the New Year and Chinese New Year (January 21-27) public holidays.”

Most major attractions, museums, amusement parks and national parks in China are now open to visitors.

What are the Covid restrictions in Hong Kong?

Unlike mainland China, Hong Kong — a special administrative region — is now fully open to international travelers and has lifted most of its entry restrictions.

On December 28, the city dropped its requirement for incoming travelers to undergo a mandatory PCR Covid-19 test upon arrival.

The government has removed the vaccination pass that the public must use for proof of vaccination to enter many places.

There are no longer any restrictions on public gatherings, but the mask mandate is mandatory in all public places, including outdoors.

Passengers arriving in the city will also be asked to undergo a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) for five days upon arrival.

In early December, Hong Kong stopped tracing contacts of infected people. In September, the city ended mandatory hotel quarantines for overseas travelers.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government reopened the border with Hong Kong on January 8.

Up to 60,000 Hong Kong residents can cross the border to the mainland every day, and vice versa by land, air and sea ports.

Can Chinese citizens go abroad for fun now?

Before the restrictions were lifted this month, authorities in China imposed a global travel ban barring citizens from traveling overseas for “non-essential” reasons.

But from January 8, international travel for leisure will be allowed again.

Is the demand for overseas travel high among Chinese?

Thailand has long been a popular destination for Chinese travelers.

SeanPavonePhoto/Adobe Stock

By all accounts, travel-hungry Chinese citizens are eager to travel abroad freely again.

Many Weibo users (a social media platform in China) are celebrating their new freedom of travel with the hashtag “Traveling Abroad Next Year” with nearly 80 million views by the end of December.

Online searches for flights and hotels abroad reached a three-year high on Trip.com in the final days of 2022, according to company data.

Searches for popular destinations increased tenfold within 30 minutes of the relaunch, with data showing that many people were looking for outbound group tours during the Lunar New Year holidays in January.

Macau, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, South Korea, the United States and the United Kingdom were among the top 10 destinations for the site that saw the fastest growth in search volume after the announcement.

How did the world react to the news?

The lifting of sanctions has proved highly controversial.

Much has been said about the importance of Chinese tourists to global tourism economic recovery efforts.

Before the outbreak, China It was the world’s largest market for outbound travel, going from 4.5 million travelers in 2000 to 150 million in 2018. The country is the world’s largest spender, accounting for $277 billion, or 16% of the world’s total of $1.7 trillion. According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization, international tourism costs.

In the year In 2018, the World Travel and Tourism Council announced that only China contributed 51 percent of the gross domestic product of travel and tourism in the Asia Pacific region. And Chinese travelers account for 30 percent of all arrivals in Thailand.

But now that they are ready to travel again, much of the world is showing concern about their return due to the Covid-19 situation in the country.

Several destinations, including the US, Australia, the UK and Japan, are adding additional Covid-19 screening requirements for passengers flying directly from China or via third countries.

International Air Transport Association director general Willie Walsh called the reinstatement of the bans “deeply regrettable” in a statement on the airline’s trade body’s website on Wednesday.

Although the virus is already spreading widely within their borders, many countries are introducing Covid-19 screening and other measures for travelers from China. It is sad to see the reinstatement of measures that have proven ineffective in the last three terms. years,” Walsh said. “Governments should base their decisions on ‘scientific facts,’ not ‘science politics,'” he added.

Includes reporting from CNN’s Jessie Yeung, Selina Wang, Cheng Cheng, Kathleen Magramo, Jennie Chen, Alex Stambaugh, Rhea Mogul, Wayne Chang, Mengchen Zhang, Simone McCarthy and CNN’s Beijing bureau.