China’s resumption of Canada group tours triggers surge in flight searches

Just after China announced on Monday its decision to resume group tours to Canada operated by travel agencies, Chinese travel platforms saw a surge of enthusiasm among travelers for related trips.

Fliggy told the Global Times on Monday that within one hour of the announcement, searches for flights to Canada nearly doubled compared with the previous day. Popular routes included Shanghai to Vancouver, Nanjing in East China's Jiangsu Province to Vancouver, Shanghai to Toronto, Beijing to Toronto, and Beijing to Montreal, according to the travel platform.

Data from Tongcheng Travel showed that searches for Canada surged by nearly 80 percent from normal levels. Pei Ningli, general manager of the company's vacation business center, told the Global Times on Monday that the resumption of group tours to Canada will offer Chinese travelers more options for leisure trips.

Data from the Chinese online travel platform Qunar showed a surge in flight searches to several Canadian cities within 30 minutes of the announcement.

Searches for flights to Toronto rose by 61 percent. Searches to Montreal increased by 223 percent, and those to Ottawa grew by 137 percent. Compared with the previous hour, searches for flights to Montreal jumped by 138 percent, while those to Ottawa surged by 431 percent, according to data that Qunar sent to the Global Times.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry, said on Monday that by taking into account Chinese tourists' travel demand, local traveling environment and other factors, China has decided to resume group tours of Chinese nationals to Canada operated by tourist agencies.

"We believe this will further promote people-to-people exchanges between the two countries and deepen mutual understanding and friendship between the two peoples. We stand ready to work with Canada to make cross-border travel easier and hope that Canada will work with China and provide a safe and enjoyable environment for Chinese tourists," said Mao.

Following the announcement, many tourists contacted CYTS Tours to inquire about travel packages to Canada, Xu Xiaolei, marketing manager at CYTS Tours Holding Co, told the Global Times on Monday.

Xu said that Canada has long been one of the most popular destinations for Chinese travelers, and the resumption of group tours operated by travel agencies will further enhance people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and Canada.

Industry insiders noted that China's tourism market has been steadily unleashing its potential through opening-up measures, including the expansion of visa-free arrangements with more countries and regions, while also showing its readiness to share the benefits of openness with global partners by deepening two-way tourism and cultural exchanges.

The resumption of group tours to Canada sends a positive signal of China's commitment to promoting people-to-people exchanges. If the Canadian side is willing to work with China to foster mutual trust and understanding, it will help create a more favorable environment for bilateral relations, Zhao Xingshu, a deputy director of the Department of Canadian Studies at the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

With the recovery of tourism, cooperation in education, culture and local government exchanges between the two countries is also expected to expand, injecting new momentum into China-Canada ties, Zhao said.

Chinese travel platforms showed that Canada has long been among the most popular outbound destinations for Chinese tourists.

Notably, Fliggy's ongoing Double 11 shopping festival data showed that as of midnight on Sunday, transactions for travel products headed to Canadian destinations had surged compared with the same period last year, the company said.

During the first 10 months this year, the number of international flight bookings to Canada made by Qunar users rose by 28.1 percent year-on-year, said the company.