China Resumes Group Tours to Canada After Years of Frozen Ties
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Air Canada planes at Toronto Pearson International Airport in Ontario on Aug. 16, 2025. Photo: Bloomberg
China has resumed group tourist tours to Canada, marking a major step toward thawing diplomatic and economic ties after years of tension.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced the move on Monday, citing strong demand from Chinese travelers and improved local conditions. “We are ready to work with Canada to facilitate people-to-people exchanges,” Mao said, adding that Beijing hopes Ottawa will provide a “safe and comfortable travel environment” for Chinese visitors.
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- China resumed group tours to Canada after a five-year suspension, signaling improved diplomatic ties following a leaders’ meeting on Oct. 31, 2024.
- Travel interest surged: flight searches to Montreal and Ottawa rose sharply; Chinese tourist arrivals in Canada are forecast to reach 470,000 by 2025, with spending predicted at $1.6 billion.
- Flight capacity remains at 35.6% of pre-pandemic levels as of October 2024, with Chinese airlines operating most flights.
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Who’s Who
- Qunar
- Qunar is a platform where searches for flights are conducted. Following the announcement of China resuming group tourist tours to Canada, Qunar observed a significant increase in flight searches to Canadian cities. Specifically, searches for flights to Montreal surged by 223%, and searches for Ottawa increased by 137% within half an hour of the announcement.
- Destination Canada
- Destination Canada, the national tourism agency, forecasts Chinese tourist arrivals will reach 470,000 by 2025, making China Canada's fourth-largest source market. They project spending by Chinese tourists to hit $1.6 billion, 87% of 2019 levels. The agency expects China to become Canada's top overseas market for tourist spending by 2030.
- Air Canada
- Air Canada (加拿大航空) made up 32.6% of the flights between China and Canada in October 2024, operating 104 flights. This reached 34.7% of its 2019 capacity on the route. It resumed daily service to Beijing and restored daily flights to Shanghai on October 30.
- Flight Master
- Data from Flight Master (航班管家) show that the recovery rate for China-Canada flights reached 35.6% in October, a 26.3 percentage point increase year over year. There were 319 round-trip flights operated that month, which is 2.5 times the number from the previous year.
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What Happened When
- 2024：
- Destination Canada forecasted arrivals from China to reach 470,000 by 2025.
- Late October 2024：
- Canada lifted its pandemic-era restrictions on Chinese airlines.
- October 2025：
- Flight Master data: the recovery rate for China-Canada flights reached 35.6%, with 319 round-trip flights operated in the month.
- October 30, 2025：
- Air Canada resumed daily service to Beijing and restored daily flights to Shanghai.
- October 31, 2025：
- Leaders of China and Canada met in Gyeongju, South Korea, for the first time in eight years, agreeing to resume exchanges and address trade and economic issues.
- November 3, 2025：
- China officially resumed group tourist tours to Canada.
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