Flight bookings surge as Beijing relaxes quarantine rules

Flight bookings surge as Beijing relaxes quarantine rules

Flight bookings surged by up to 15 times after Beijing relaxed quarantine rules, raising hope that a release of pent-up demand ahead of a major holiday will breathe life into China's battered tourism industry.

Emer McCarthy reports.

Flight bookings have surged by up to 15 times on Thursday (April 30) as the Chinese capital relaxed its quarantine rules.

Beijing had-- until Wednesday (April 29) -- lived under some of the toughest restrictions in the country, including a mandatory 14-day quarantine for anyone arriving.

That requirement was scrapped from Thursday for travelers from low-risk areas of China, and comes just ahead of a five-day May Day holiday, beginning on Friday (May 1).

Fliggy, the travel booking platform of the Alibaba Group, said it saw orders for air tickets, in and out of Beijing, jump more than 500% in the hour after the announcement.

At Beijing International Airport, this traveler - who's heading to Chengdu-- says they think it's good that restrictions have been eased.

The Ministry of Transport said it expected 117 million people to travel by road, rail or air during the holiday, or 23.36 million per day, which is about one third the daily volume of last year.