Flight Booking Sites Swamped With End of Travel Restrictions on the Horizon

Searches for international flights on Chinese online travel platforms surged by up to tenfold after it was announced inbound entry restrictions would be lifted from early next month, as citizens largely cut off from overseas trips over the last three years due to Covid sought to spread their wings once again.

Within 15 minutes of the announcement, searches for international flight tickets increased seven-fold, data from Chinese online travel giant Qunar.com Inc. showed with popular destinations including Thailand, Japan, and South Korea.