(Yicai Global) Dec. 8 -- Many cities and provinces across China are rolling out subsidies and special activities to encourage year-end tourism, which is normally a peak period, as the country continues to lift Covid-19 travel restrictions.

Southwestern Sichuan province is offering snow activities and hot spring tourism to boost visitor numbers during the upcoming winter, according to local media. In addition, it is rewarding travel agencies for any group tours that they organize, subsidizing any additional flights that airlines organize for winter tourists and offering discounts on tickets to scenic spots.

People travelling between provinces will no longer have their health codes checked and they no longer need to take Covid-19 tests before travelling, the country’s cabinet said yesterday. Since then, traffic on flight booking platforms has surged seven-fold, and searches for popular tourism destinations such as Hainan and Yunnan provinces jumped on online travel agency Mafengwo.

Lifting restrictions on travel is good for the tourism industry, but people need time to psychologically recover from the pandemic, Chen Qiankang, professor at the History Culture and Tourism College of Sichuan Normal University and president of Sichuan Travel Guide Association, told Yicai Global.

The tourism sector is expected to return to normal by March or April next year, and travel agencies hope that inter-provincial travel will be freed up as soon as possible, he added.

The island getaway of Hainan province launched a duty-free shopping gala yesterday with discounts available both online and in brick-and-mortar stores until Feb. 5 next year. While Guangzhou in southern Guangdong province issued coupons today worth up to CNY100 (USD14) each that can be used in supermarkets, department stores, hotels and restaurants as well as on e-commerce platforms.

Editor: Kim Taylor