Beijing’s move to resume outbound tourism on Jan. 8 amid a nationwide COVID-19 outbreak has sparked criticism among Japanese citizens. Some have condemned the move, calling it “irresponsible” and “immoral behavior.”
All quarantine requirements for inbound travelers to China will end as soon as Jan. 8, China’s National Health Commission said on Dec. 26. The cap on the number of international flights coming in and out of China will be scrapped, and outbound tourism, which plummeted to almost zero during the pandemic, will resume in “an orderly manner.”
Within minutes after the announcement, searches for international flight tickets on Chinese online travel agencies and searches for visas to go abroad increased severalfold, with top destinations being Japan, South Korea, and Thailand….