China drops COVID-19 group travel bans to 78 nations including U.S., Japan

Aug. 10 (UPI) -- China announced Thursday it was removing its COVID-19-era restrictions on group travel to nearly 80 countries including the United States and Japan.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced group travel could continue to 78 nations including the two popular destinations as well as Australia, Britain, Germany, Qatar and South Korea.

It, however, encouraged local authorities to "strengthen supervision and inspection of travel agencies and online tourism companies to effectively maintain the order of the tourism market and safeguard the rights of tourists."

China in December broadly rolled back its strict "zero-COVID" policies and began 2023 by dropping quarantine requirements for inbound travelers.

A total of 138 countries were opened to group travel following Thursday's expansion. Back in January, China announced the resumption of group tours to 20 countries, including Thailand, Singapore and Russia it then added 40 more countries in March, including European hotspots such as Italy, France and Spain.

Thursday's announcements saw Asiana Airlines stock jump 7%, while Japan Airlines rose 1.92%.