Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

A TRAVEL group of 32 tourists departed from Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport to Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday, the first day of the resumption of group tours for overseas Chinese travelers.

This was the first international travel group leaving from the airport and the first travel group from the Chinese mainland to Cambodia, the Shenzhen airport authority said in a news release Monday.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced the resumption of travel agency-organized group tours starting from Monday.

At a ceremony in the airport’s Terminal 3, Song Qiang, secretary-general of the Shenzhen Tourism Association, said that outbound group travel signified the recovery of the city’s cultural and tourism markets.

Since the Spring Festival, four airline companies have resumed operating four international flights departing from Shenzhen. Flights departing from Shenzhen have reached 20 cities in 17 countries including 10 cities in seven ASEAN countries.

China Southern Airlines has resumed flights from Shenzhen to Jakarta, Moscow, Dubai, Amsterdam and Hanoi. It will open a route between Shenzhen and Phnom Penh on Feb. 17.

The airline, in partnership with travel agencies, will provide services for outbound group tours to New Zealand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Kenya, Maldives, Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Traditional tour routes to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand will see an uptick of flights in February and March, according to industry insiders.