China advises against overseas travel during national holidays

China’s aviation regulator advised against international travel during national holidays later this month and in October due to coronavirus outbreaks overseas and the low volume of international flights. Prior to the pandemic, Chinese travelers were major sources of tourist income for countries globally, but numbers have dropped sharply due to the virus and tight restrictions on movement even as places such as Europe reopen. Domestic air travel has been more robust, though that hasn’t been immune to outbreaks and subsequent clampdowns. Passenger volume slumped over 50% from a year earlier to 22.4 million trips in August, largely because of a Covid flareup in Nanjing, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said Tuesday. China now faces another outbreak in the southeastern province of Fujian and has locked down the city of Xiamen. Still, CAAC said domestic air traffic will increase in October from summer. Public holidays are looming, with Mid-Autumn festival from Sept. 19 to 21 followed by the National Day break from Oct. 1 to 7. <br/>