(Yicai Global) April 26 -- Passengers arriving in China by air will no longer be required to take a polymerase chain reaction test for Covid-19, but instead just need to show a negative antigen test taken 48 hours before departure, according to the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The new measures will take effect from April 29 and will facilitate international travel, Mao Ning said at a press briefing yesterday. Before this, China had different requirements for travelers from different countries and kept updating the rules.

The latest relaxation in pandemic prevention requirements comes just before the three-day Labor Day holiday next week and is expected to boost outbound travel over the break, several industry insiders said.

An hour after the announcement was made, online searches for flights to overseas destinations more than quadrupled, according to e-travel agency Fliggy. Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Chengdu are the popular departure points for flights out of the country while Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Bangkok and Osaka are the most popular locations for flights into China.

“The new policy has simplified and facilitated the entry process for travelers,” said Yan Dong, head of Hangzhou-based Fliggy’s international air ticketing department. “Taking antigen tests instead of PCR tests can save time and a lot of money.”

Outbound flight bookings for the holiday from April 29 to May 3 have recovered to 45 percent of the same period before the pandemic, according to data from travel platform Qunar. The average price of air tickets to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore over the holiday period has dropped 40 percent from that during the Lunar New Year break in February.

Editor: Kim Taylor