McKinsey survey found 40% of Chinese travellers want their next trip to be international. Photo Credit: Adobe Stock/setthawuth
A backlog of passport renewals, the struggle by international
airlines to find the long-haul aircraft to reconnect with China and the
remaining international visa restrictions for Chinese travellers will
slow the tide but only delay the inevitable: the massive demand for
international travel of all types by Chinese travellers.
The findings of a new McKinsey&Company report which examines
China’s travel rebound following the country’s lifting of travel
restrictions reveals that while travel from China will not pick up as
quickly as that from Hong Kong, it will recover once a huge backlog of
passport renewals is processed and internationals airlines get
mothballed aircraft back in the air.
The report’s author, Steve Saxon, a partner in McKinsey’s Shenzhen
office, said, “In all cases, globally, when travel restrictions ease,
demand jumps. Travel to visit friends and relatives, to study, and
urgent business travel rebound first. Leisure travel for vacations
follows quickly afterwards.”
In a recent McKinsey survey, 40% of Chinese travellers said they
wanted their next trip to be international, with Australia/New Zealand,
South-east Asia, and Japan being the most desired destinations.
However, Saxon warns, “A strong demand recovery, coupled with
frictions in bringing back supply, is likely to mean ticket prices into
and from China remain elevated for the coming months, until supply can
fully come back online.”
On the outlook for inbound travel, Saxon said it will return “but not
immediately, given the current COVID-19 waves in the country combined
with factors that may deter travellers such as China requiring a PCR
test 48 hours before departure”.
Overall, he shared, “For the long-suffering travel industry, the future is bright at last.”
Source: Travel Weekly Asia