China announced it will end its quarantine requirement for international travellers on 8 January 2023 as the country eases its zero-COVID policy in a major reopening step to inbound tourism for the first time since closing in 2020.
China will also remove passenger capacity restrictions on international flights from 8 January, assisting air travel recovery worldwide.
International travellers entering China will still have to complete PCR testing 48 hours before departure.
Currently, visitors to China must undergo five days of mandatory quarantine at a government-approved facility and an additional three days of isolation.
Arrangements for overseas business travellers will improve and the necessary visas will also be facilitated, China’s National Health Commission said.
Access by sea and land will gradually start, while the Chinese outbound travel market will resume “in an orderly manner”.
Restrictions on Chinese arrivals
Several countries have imposed COVID-19 restrictions on arrivals from China due to the dropping of domestic pandemic curbs that have seen local infection rates skyrocket.
Australia, Spain, Italy, India, France, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea, Qatar, Morocco, the UK and US have set restrictions on travellers from mainland China, citing a lack of information about virus variants and cases.
From 5 January, travellers from China to Australia must submit a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours of travel for entry.
Demand for mainland China
Trip.com Group saw outbound bookings from China surge by 254 per cent on 27 December against the previous day after the border reopening announcement and in the lead-up to Lunar New Year.
According to online searches, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Hangzhou are the top five cities of departure.
The increased international travel demand mirrors a spike in interest among overseas tourists looking to visit China.
Trip.com Group data showed inbound flight bookings on 27 December were up a whopping 412 per cent on 26 December. Australia, Germany, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong SAR were the largest sources of inbound travellers to China.
For the latest travel advice to China, visit smartraveller.gov.au
