After almost a whole month's suspension of business, travel
agencies can at last see some light at the end of the tunnel. They
expect business to return to normal, though the rebound to pre-SARS
levels is not expected to come in the immediate future.
The China National
Tourism Administration announced yesterday that the country
will resume domestic travel from June and inbound tour business
from July.
According to the administration, from June tourists can be
encouraged to travel inside their own provinces.
It
said residents in Guangdong Province will be allowed to participate
in travel groups to Hong Kong and Macao from June.
Other provinces should make their own decisions on whether to
resume provincial trips but are still forbidden to organize
outbound trips.
Yesterday, several local and overseas newspapers published stories
saying that the ban on travel to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand
-- the three most popular overseas destinations with local
travelers -- has been lifted.
The Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission said
yesterday it was not aware of the change, but it "would map out
detailed guidelines once the official document from Beijing
arrives," according to Huang Guangrong, an official from the
commission.
"We welcome the decision. The time is right for this," said Edmund
Chua, Singapore Tourism Board's regional director responsible for
China. "Both governments have accumulated adequate experiences in
handling the disease."
For tour operators, the news came earlier than expected.
"We thought that our business wouldn't be re-started until
September, but it now seems possible to organize group tours at
least to areas around Shanghai by the end of next month," said Li
Junhua, president of the Shanghai Dazhong International Travel
Service.
"The fear (of travel) will last for a certain period," cautioned Li
Huaifa, vice president of the Shanghai China Travel Service. "I
believe it will take time for the tourism industry to rebound to
pre-SARS levels."
(Eastday.com May 31, 2003)