SHENZHEN restarted inter-provincial group tours  Wednesday in an effort to boost the recovery of the cultural and tourism industries and stabilize the economy, as per a notice issued by the city’s COVID prevention and control headquarters the same day.

Local travel agencies and online travel platforms are allowed to resume inter-provincial group tours and “air ticket plus hotel” business in an orderly manner, read the notice.

They are required to pay close attention to the epidemic situations of destinations and make timely adjustments to their products and itineraries. They are prohibited from organizing trips to cities with medium and high-risk areas or receiving tourist groups from cities with medium and high-risk areas.

The notice also encouraged outdoor sports travel and supported community fitness and camping. The city will boost the development of “micro vacation,” or “micro tourism,” which has become a trend in recent years, it said.

“Micro vacation” is characterized by short-distance travel — two-to-three hours of driving — and two-to-three days’ stay, usually on weekends or during short holidays. In contrast to a proper vacation, which usually involves elaborate planning, much longer travel time and higher expenses, and extends over a week or more, “micro vacation” needs little planning and time, and is less expensive.

Also, a “micro-tourism” travel group is relatively small, usually a family seeking quality time and comfort together, and the choice of location is more flexible.

Tourism firms are called upon to inject culture, art and sports elements into their micro tour products and enhance service quality.

Tourist attractions, star hotels, art galleries, museums, libraries, cultural centers, performance venues, cultural and entertainment venues, and stadiums in the city are encouraged to adopt the reservation policy to reduce crowd gatherings, the notice said.

The recovery of the tourism sector will drive the growth of a swath of industries such as catering, lodging, and cultural events, Jiang Yiyi, deputy head of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism under the Beijing Sport University, said in an interview with the Global Times in May.

“It is of great significance to boost domestic demand and invigorate the economy,” she said.

(Xia Yuanjie)