AS outbound travel destinations and offerings increase, the market benefits of opening up outbound tourism are expected to be fully unleashed during the National Day holiday, according to the research institute of Tongcheng Travel, a major online travel services provider in China. International tourist arrivals in the first quarter reached 80% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the World Tourism Barometer issued in May by the World Tourism Organization. China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced in mid-August the third batch of countries and regions where group tours from China can resume, bringing the total number to 138. Destinations like South Korea, Japan, Türkiye, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia are included in the list. Following the announcement, searches for related travel products on travel platforms shot up. Data from online travel platform Ctrip showed that searches for outbound travel products increased more than 20 times. Products for the eight-day combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday from late September to early October were the most searched, with a significant surge in group travel products to countries including Japan and Australia, Beijing Youth Daily reported. (SD-Agencies) | 