Photo: VCG

The first batch of outbound travelers to Australia began their journey on Thursday, following China's recent lifting of the group travel ban to Australia, three years after its imposition to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The destination is now accessible to Chinese travelers along with 78 other countries, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced on August 10.

A group of 14 travelers, flown by China Southern Airlines, departed from Guangzhou, located in South China's Guangdong Province, to Melbourne at 8:20 pm on Thursday night. They will spend eight days in Australia.

The resumption of group tours by Chinese tourists to Australia is undeniably an exciting and positive signal for the Australian tourism industry. Andrew Hogg, Executive General Manager for Eastern Markets and Aviation at Tourism Australia, mentioned in a note sent by China Southern.

With the launch of the third batch of outbound group travel, China Southern stated that it will continue to expand its capacity in Australia.

Currently, China Southern operates two flights each day to Sydney and Melbourne. From November 18 to February 25 of the following year, the flights from Guangzhou to Sydney and Melbourne will increase to three flights a day. Flights from Shenzhen to Sydney will also see an increase to three flights a week.

Starting from November 17, China Southern Airlines will resume flights from Guangzhou to Brisbane, offering four flights a week.

Bilateral trade between China and Australia is showing signs of warming up. China's Ministry of Commerce announced earlier this month that it would end anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties on barley imported from Australia starting from August 5, due to changes in China's barley market making these duties unnecessary.

Experts believe this move will further enhance China-Australia relations during the thawing ties, thereby consolidating and strengthening bilateral trade and economic exchanges. They anticipate this momentum to endure across various sectors.

At present, China-Australia economic and trade relations are in a crucial period, as stated by Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian in an exclusive interview with the Global Times in May.

Global Times