OTTAWA: China has refused to lift a Covid-era ban on group tours to Canada due to anti-Beijing rhetoric by Ottawa, AFP reported on Wednesday.
Last week China lifted the ban on Chinese groups tour to visit United States, Germany, Japan and Australia, but not Canada.
China Declines to Lift Covid-era Ban on Group Tours to Canada
Chinese travel agents follow an approved list of 138 destinations while arranging foreign vacation plans for Chinese nationals.
The Chinese Embassy in Ottawa in a statement said discriminatory acts against Asians ate on the rise in Canada.
It said that China gives importance to safety and legitimate rights of overseas Chinese nationals and hope they can travel in a safe and friendly environment.
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According to the United Nations tourism agency (UNWTO) China used to be the biggest tourism source market in the world before the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, Chinese tourists spent a US$255 billion on international tours.
Group tours from Beijing to Ottawa were first started in 2010.
As per data available 700,000 Chinese national nationals visited Canada in 2018 and spent an average of Can$2,600 (US$1,922) per visitor, or a total of Can$2 billion.
