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While travel from China remains well below pre-pandemic levels despite Chinese authorities easing travel restrictions, Abu Dhabi has rebounded faster than many destinations closer to home.
Figures released this week showed overall bookings for international flights out of China rose 192% from Dec. 26 to Jan. 3, the week after restrictions were eased, compared with the same period last year.
The most popular destinations for return travelers from China are Macau, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Frankfurt.
Abu Dhabi has seen a 51% drop in bookings compared to 2019, according to travel research firm ForwardKeys. For Dubai, bookings were 83% lower than in 2019, but in terms of destinations, bookings were on average 85% lower than in 2019.
The data also showed pent-up demand for the upcoming Lunar New Year, with 67% of travel bookings occurring during this period (around January 22).
Olivier Ponti, vice president of ForwardKeys Insights, commented: “While Chinese New Year may see the first rebound in international tourism in three years, we will need to wait longer to see a recovery in Chinese tourists exploring the globe.”
Current international flight capacity from China is only 10% of 2019 levels, Ponty said. Ticket prices remain high, with ticket prices up an average of 160% over 2019; however, prices have trended downward since June as the quarantine period began to shorten.
(Reporting by Imogen Lillywhite; Editing by Seban Scaria)
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