No immediate surge of Chinese tourists expected after re-opening

China's relaxation of COVID-19 rules for international arrivals has raised hopes that its multi-billion dollar travel business will soon flourish again but countries longing for the return of Chinese tourists will likely face more of a wait. China's National Health Commission announced on Monday that inbound travellers would no longer have to go into quarantine from Jan. 8. There are no official restrictions on Chinese people going abroad but the new rule will make it much easier for them to return home. China was the world's largest outbound tourism market before COVID shut down global travel, with its overseas visitors spending $127.5b on travel in 2019. Airlines are drawing up plans to expand their services but ordinary Chinese and travel agencies suggest that a return to anything like normal will take some time. German airline Lufthansa was examining whether to change its flight schedule to China following the changes. "This will contribute to the recovery of international air traffic between Mainland China and Europe," a spokesperson said. TUI expects a positive impact on its currently limited flights to China, a spokesperson said. Duty free retailer Dufry expects the changes to have a "positive effect at the airports that the Chinese use and where we have a presence," a spokesperson said.<br/>