With spring in full bloom in most parts of the country and temperatures rising, gradually, many people are dying to hit the road during the upcoming Qingming Festival holiday from April 3 to 5 and May Day holiday from April 30 to May 4. But due to the resurgence of COVID-19 infections, most prefer going on short trips.

As of Tuesday, there were 539 high- and medium-risk areas for COVID-19 across 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Although different cities have implemented different prevention and control measures based on the ground situation, most areas require tourists to furnish negative nucleic acid test reports conducted 48 hours before the visit.

Some cities have asked residents to avoid unnecessary travels to curb the further spread of the novel coronavirus, especially the highly transmissible Omicron variant. And most domestic and inbound group tours have been suspended and some tourist attractions temporarily closed.

According to the Global COVID-19 Prediction System developed by Lanzhou University, China is likely to control this wave of domestic outbreaks by early April following the current anti-pandemic measures. Yet many would still prefer shorter trips to long-distance tours during the Qingming Festival and May Day holidays.

Over the past two years, the pandemic has changed people's demand and preferences for travel. In general, travelers are now more likely to enjoy short trips. As a result, the demand for private and customized group tours has grown significantly compared with pre-pandemic times. People tend to visit places closer to home, spend a weekend at nearby sites, close to or in the lap of nature, in order to prevent the virus from spreading.

Before the pandemic broke out, people tended to make plans and reservations in advance. But nowadays, people have more flexible itineraries because of the uncertainties around trips owing to the pandemic. In fact, tourists today are more worried about environmental hygiene of the tourist sites, insurance coverage, free cancellation and emergency management.

Since shorter trips, lighter travel, flexible itineraries seem to have become the new normal, the tourism industry needs to promote new products and services, in order to adapt to the changes and continue drawing tourists and making profits.

Although many online platforms are providing different types of information to help travelers plan their weekend trips, the tourism industry needs to develop and promote more high-quality destinations reachable by car. While enterprises and scenic spots need to provide better services and more reliable support for protecting the rights of tourists and customers, hotels and restaurants must focus on keeping their establishments hygienic and upgrading their services.

According to a guideline for the Chinese tourism market during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet, on Jan 20, the authorities will promote inbound tourism in an orderly manner only after the pandemic is effectively contained.

Against this backdrop, tourism enterprises and local governments should promote smart tourism using digital technology, big data, artificial intelligence and better network services, as well as introducing contactless devices at tourist sites, in order to increase bookings and facilitate safe travel. In addition, local governments should implement anti-pandemic measures according to the local conditions to cut the transmission chains of the virus.

Also, the tourist attractions and public venues need to maintain their restrictive entry policy, and the tourist sites, hotels and restaurants should also continue to take preemptive measures such as sterilizing the facilities, prohibiting unnecessary gatherings, measuring visitors' temperature and checking their health codes. As for travelers and tourists, they should observe anti-pandemic rules, by continuing to wear face masks, maintaining social distancing, and following the government's health instructions, to prevent the spread of the virus.

Moreover, to help the tourism and catering sectors to overcome the challenges created by the pandemic, local governments should implement tax-and-fee reduction policies and guide them to explore a new development model.

Let's hope the tourism industry, with the help of governments, enterprises and the public, has a profitable spring.

The author is director of the Tourism Research Center, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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