BEIJING—From January 8, China will welcome inbound travelers and ease rules for outbound travelers, a major reversal after nearly three years of COVID restrictions.
Overall, the news has been greeted with a mixture of optimism and skepticism. The influx of business and leisure travelers from China will undoubtedly boost overseas arrivals to the United States, which in October were still down 30% compared to 2019. However, while the Chinese government said it would begin accepting applications for visa extensions, renewals or reissues on January 8, it has given no indication of when it will begin issuing them to new applicants, which could affect trade show attendees.
Following the announcement, various tAirlines have reported a surge in international ticket bookings and searches for visa information on their websites. Airlines including United and Lufthansa have said they are currently considering adding flights; According to flight tracking app VariFlight, international flights to and from China are at just 8% of pre-pandemic levels.
“There will certainly be more people looking to travel to sell than there are available airline seats in the coming months,” said Paul Woodward, chairman of Paul Woodward Advisory. “This will provide a boost to trade shows in most parts of the world. I’ve heard of a real increase in demand for booth space at shows in Southeast Asia, Europe and the US.”
In conjunction with China opening the floodgates of tourism, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) introduced A new COVID-19 testing policy for air travelers will be implemented starting January 5. The new order requires travelers arriving in the United States from China, directly or indirectly, as well as Hong Kong and Macau, to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than two days prior. This measure was followed by similar measures in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia and several other Asian and European countries.
Related: How China and Hong Kong’s COVID rule easing could impact trade shows, experts say
The decision to implement testing was immediately supported by travel industry leaders, including Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the US Travel Association.
Woodward predicts that in light of the new testing requirements, U.S. trade shows may benefit somewhat less from the reopening than others. “However, the U.S. remains the world’s largest economy and still the most attractive to Chinese exporters. So, large trade shows with a significant international component will likely see a surge in Chinese participation in the coming months.”
More worrying than the new testing policy are China’s trade policies and policies, as well as the uncertainty created by the reversal of its zero-COVID policy, which could have enormous implications. in terms of mortality and economic impact, as well as creation the environment for new variants has emerge.
“As travel from China resumes, it will be important for our government to avoid the significant visa processing backlogs that other countries like India and Brazil are experiencing to travel to the United States,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association. “We’ve heard from trade show organizers across the country that business is strong, but we need China to step up. We hope Chinese visitors will soon join the crowds returning to convention centers from coast to coast.”
Contact Paul Woodward at+44 7541 251530Orpw@paulwoodward.com