(Yicai Global) June 30 -- Shanghai’s first group tour to another province in China following the end of the city’s two-month lockdown was booked out within two days of its launch.

Tickets for the 22-person tour, organized by Shanghai Spring International Travel Service, to Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in China’s northwestern Gansu province went on sale on June 23, The Paper reported yesterday, citing Xu Sufang, the firm’s product manager. The holiday makers are due to depart on July 1.

Spring Travel has since added 15 more tour groups to Gannan, seven of which have also sold out, with only a few places remaining, Xu added.

Gansu was the first region to open up to tourists from Shanghai after the recent Covid-19 outbreak. Xu said the province’s peak visitor season runs from this month to September, and she hopes to take this chance to make up for the losses caused by the pandemic as soon as possible.

With the State Council loosening quarantine and other pandemic regulations two days ago, restrictions on people traveling from Shanghai have been eased across the country.

Tourist destinations have already launched marketing campaigns targeting Shanghai residents in an effort to seize the opportunity, the reported cited Xie Xiaoqing, a senior researcher at Ctrip Research Institute, as saying.

In line with regulation changes, Spring Travel has expedited the pre-sale schedule of other cross-province travel products, with more than 1,000 inter-provincial group tours departing after July 10 now available, the report noted.

The long-repressed desire for travel among Shanghai residents will be gradually released during the upcoming peak summer vacation season, Xie said.

Editor: Peter Thomas