Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of staff member of travel agency serving customers
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Lei, head of travel agency (ending with shot 3):
"There are many customers who consult us about Central and East Africa tours. There are also some customers who consult us about Egypt, Kenya, and European tours, as well as customers who consult us about travels to France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal."
3. Zhang serving customers
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Liu Jie, CEO assistant of travel agency (ending with shots 5-6):
"So far, people are paying more attention to the 40 newly opened countries, such as Iran, France and Italy. From the perspective of the whole booking cycle, the booking for the Labor Day Holiday used to be one month in advance in April. From this year, it is two months in advance. With the increase of shipping capacity, the current product price is reduced by 10 to 20 percent."
5. Various of staff of travel agency working
6. Various of screen showing pictures of scenic spots, hotels
7. Various of staff of travel agency working, typing
8. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xie Rouyang, visa supervisor of travel agency (ending with shot 9):
"We are all working overtime. The consultations are booming even on weekends. We work more than 10 hours a day on average. Visa reservations for European countries, such as Italy, France and Germany, are in short supply."

Beijing, China - Recent (CGTN - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Various of passengers entering airport, having security check
10. Passengers at service center

Beijing, China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Liu Jie, CEO assistant of travel agency:
"Some popular countries are mostly booked in June and July, such as Switzerland, France and Italy."

Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - March 13, 2023 (Guangzhou Broadcasting Network - No access Chinese mainland)
12. Plane taxiing
13. Plane taking off

The travel demand in China for the Labor Day Holiday has entered the peak in advance as the country expanded outbound group tours of 60 countries and regions.

At a travel agency store in Beijing's Chaoyang District, more and more people are coming to consult the travel agents.

"There are many customers who consult us about Central and East Africa tours. There are also some customers who consult us about Egypt, Kenya, and European tours, as well as customers who consult us about travels to France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal," said Zhang Lei, head of a travel agency.

"So far, people are paying more attention to the 40 newly opened countries, such as Iran, France and Italy. From the perspective of the whole booking cycle, the booking for the Labor Day Holiday used to be one month in advance in April. From this year, it is two months in advance. With the increase of shipping capacity, the current product price is reduced by 10 to 20 percent," said Liu Jie, a CEO assistant of a travel agency.

With the rising popularity of outbound travel, the number of visa appointments has begun to rise, and visa appointments of some countries are in short supply.

Xie Rouyang, a visa supervisor at a travel agency, said the number of visa consultations and applications during the Labor Day Holiday has doubled.

"We are all working overtime. The consultations are booming even on weekends. We work more than 10 hours a day on average. Visa reservations for European countries, such as Italy, France and Germany, are in short supply," said Xie.

According to data from the Chinese online travel service provider Xiecheng, the number of visa orders for travel during the Labor Day holiday in the past two weeks increased by more than two times over that of the whole month of February.

"Some popular countries are mostly booked in June and July, such as Switzerland, France and Italy," said Liu.

China is fully reopening its borders, allowing travel agencies to provide outbound group tours to 60 countries after three years of closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to industry insiders, 23 of the 60 countries are offering visa facilitation to Chinese tourists. A total of 13 countries support landing or e-visas for Chinese tourists.