VANCOUVER - Travel agents in British Columbia are optimistic following China's decision to resume group tourism to Canada after a five-year suspension. This move is seen as a potential revival for the local travel industry, which heavily relied on affluent Chinese visitors prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Glynnis Chan, president of Happy Times Travel and Tour Ltd. in Vancouver, has been leading group tours for Chinese tourists since the mid-1980s. She expressed excitement about the economic boost expected from the resumption of group tours, which were halted in 2020 due to the pandemic. Chan noted that Chinese tourists typically spend around $1,300 a day and often travel for six weeks, visiting popular sites such as Stanley Park in Vancouver, the Rocky Mountains, and Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

"[Monday's] news was like a shot in the arm to the local tourism industry, and I am ready to show them the beauty of the country," Chan said in an interview.

The announcement follows a meeting between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand described as a "turning point" in Canada-China relations. Anand stated that the resumption of group tourism is an important step in recalibrating the bilateral relationship.

Data from Destination B.C. indicates that Chinese travel to the province is down 45% compared to 2019, although there has been a 24% increase since last year. Nationally, the number of Chinese visitors to Canada has decreased by 51% since 2019, when over 500,000 Chinese tourists visited the country.

Mabel Wu, owner of Next Vacation Ltd. in Richmond, B.C., reminisced about the pre-pandemic era when Chinese tourists would frequently order high-end seafood at restaurants. "During those old days before the pandemic, tourists from the tour bus always asked restaurants if they can get groupers, king crab and lobsters right away once they got off the bus. They didn't even care about the price," Wu recalled.

Despite the positive news, some travel agents, like Daniel Xu of Elite Forward in Toronto, noted that challenges remain. Xu mentioned that many Chinese tourists find the visa application process lengthy and that flight availability from China to Canada has not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.

"If there is any way for the Canadian government to speed up its visa process, then the number of visitors will pick up," Xu said. He also highlighted popular destinations for Chinese tourists, including Banff National Park and Niagara Falls.

As travel agents prepare for the return of group tours, they remain hopeful that the renewed relationship between Canada and China will lead to a resurgence in tourism and economic activity.