As China-Canada relations thaw, following the first formal meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Carney since 2017 at the APEC Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, both countries have witnessed a notable warming of ties. On the 3rd, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that China has agreed to resume group tours to Canada for Chinese citizens and expressed willingness to work with the Canadian side to create greater convenience for people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, at a regular press conference, stated that the recent leaders' meeting had reached an “important consensus on improving and developing China-Canada relations,” with both sides set to restart exchanges and cooperation in various fields and to work towards gradually settling economic and trade issues. She also revealed that, after comprehensive consideration of travelers' outbound needs and the local tourism environment, China decided to allow travel agencies to resume organizing group tour services for Chinese citizens to Canada.
According to The Paper, the announcement sent immediate shockwaves through the tourism market. As tracked by the travel platform Qunar, within half an hour of the news, searches for flights and travel plans to Canada skyrocketed; searches for tickets to Toronto rose 61% year-on-year, those for Montreal surged 223%, and Ottawa was up by 137%.
Multiple travel agencies also responded rapidly. According to Yicai, Utour has already launched several winter-themed Canada tour routes, covering major cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, and Montreal. These itineraries feature popular activities including maple leaves sightseeing, snow experiences, and aurora viewing, and registration has been enthusiastic since launch, with nearly all seats sold out. GZL International Travel Service, under Lingnan Group, also announced the launch of a “14-day Canada East and West Coast Combined Tour” premier group package, including tours of Niagara Falls, Banff National Park, and an in-depth visit to Montreal, priced at 39,999 RMB per person (23,500 MYR). Reportedly, within half an hour of being listed, all 14 spots for the inaugural group were fully booked.
At the end of 2018, the abrupt deterioration in China-Canada relations was triggered by the detention of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou by Canada at the request of the United States, with China subsequently detaining two Canadians accused of espionage. The two countries also clashed in the area of economic and trade relations: for example, after Canada followed the US in raising tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, China imposed anti-dumping measures on Canadian canola. However, following Carney’s succession of Trudeau as Canadian Prime Minister in March of this year, relations have started to improve. Now, with tourism serving as the new icebreaker, the resumption of ties is symbolized, and new opportunities for cooperation in investment, education, and technology are expected in the future.