(Yicai Global) July 15 -- China has resumed domestic inter-provincial group tours, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said in a notice yesterday. E-booking giant Trip.Com’s instantaneous search volume for domestic group and self-guided tours soared 500 percent after the notice was issued, The Paper reported.

Tourist attractions have loosened their limits on the number of visitors as inter-provincial group tours resume. The upper limit for visitors in tourist attractions has been adjusted to 50 percent from 30 percent of their maximum bearing capacity, per the notice.

The country has no plan to restore outbound and inbound tourism for now, however, the notice stated.

China suspended group tours and ‘air ticket plus hotel’ products of the country’s offline and online travel agencies because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ministry announced on Jan. 24. The suspension for inter-provincial tours has now lasted for 172 days.

Online travel platforms have been poised to restart, the report said, noting Beijing-based Qunar will begin to sell over 5,500 package tours after provincial and municipal examinations, and Trip.Com has gotten around 120,000 group, self-guided, thematic and tailor-made tours ready to sell since the notice was released.

Editor: Ben Armour