A recovery in Chinese overseas travel from the COVID-19 pandemic is fading as rising costs and difficulties in securing visas cement a preference for local and short-haul destinations.
The delay in a revival to pre-COVID levels by China's outbound travelers, the world's top spenders on international tourism and airlines, is hitting travel-related companies, hotels and retailers globally.
Eighteen months after China dropped strict zero-COVID policies and reopened its borders, the recovery in overseas travel is lagging behind market expectations and the shape of Chinese travel is changing, with a surge in domestic trips.