The US has lifted special Covid testing rules for Chinese tourists, meaning travelers departing from China, Hong Kong, Macau and certain airports elsewhere will no longer be required to undergo a pre-flight test.
At the beginning of January, Washington announced that passengers over two years of age traveling to the United States from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau should be tested for coronavirus two days before departure at the latest. Passengers were required to provide negative test results from a PCR test or a healthcare provider-verified antigen rapid test. The rules also apply to travelers arriving from China.
Furthermore, passengers flying to the US from Incheon International Airport in South Korea, Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada, and Vancouver International Airport also had to present a negative Covid-19 test if they had visited the Far Eastern country in the 10 days prior to their visit. trip to the United States. In addition to Washington, several countries have taken similar steps, such as Italy, South Korea, India and Japan.
These measures were justified by the fact that at the end of last year, Beijing lifted epidemic prevention measures that restricted economic development, which is why the coronavirus began to spread in the Far Eastern country. It turned out then that worrying about the omicron virus variants was not necessary, so most countries began to withdraw mandatory testing for the Chinese, while others – such as Switzerland and Croatia – did not restrict their entry in the first place, and the European union health authority also deemed this inappropriate. necessary.
An important role is played by Chinese travelers, who spend much more than tourists: in 2018, for example 277 billion allocated for this purpose, while the Americans in second place spent only 144 billion dollars. In 2019, nearly 2.9 million Chinese tourists visited the United States receipt, $15 billion spend. By comparison, most travelers came from the UK at 4.7 million, but they spent just under $14.6 billion. So it is not surprising that the United States is not blocking their arrival either, but due to geopolitical tensions, fewer Chinese tourists can travel to the country this year.
The Chinese have arrived, and Hungary can close out a record yearAfter a gap of three years, the first organized Chinese tour group is now in Budapest. Since the epidemic, the Chinese government has been the first member of the European Union to allow Chinese travel agencies to organize group tours on a group tourist visa. |
