Visa applications by Chinese citizens remain well below pre-pandemic levels following the lifting of travel restrictions in January, data from a specialist visa firm revealed, as the number of international flights remained limited.
VFS Global, a visa application outsourcing and technology services firm, said in a statement visa application volumes from China reached 35% of pre-COVID levels by May compared with the same period of 2019 (January to May 20).
It listed top destinations as including Canada, Germany, Italy, Britain and the United States.
China's government gave the green light for international travel and resumed issuing passports and travel visas for residents in January. But analysts had said travel would not quickly bounce back due to several reasons, including the low number of flights into and out of the country.
Although the country saw a spurt of domestic travel demand during the Lunar New Year and Labour Day holidays, analysts at Nomura said in a note that the recovery in outbound tourism has remained gradual.
Read original article
