(Yicai) Jan. 2 -- Chinese tourists are on the move again as the travel market is recovering quickly after the Covid-19 years, as evidenced by New Year holiday data from travel agencies.

Outbound travel bookings rose almost five times for the three days from Dec. 31 to Jan. 2 from a year ago, Trip.Com's data showed. Domestic trips nearly tripled.

Airlines are resuming more flights abroad and countries such as Malaysia and Thailand no longer require visas from Chinese tourists. The National Immigration Administration expected the number of passengers entering and leaving China to reach 1.56 million on Jan. 1, more than five times that of the same period last year, and 90 percent of the level seen in 2019 before the pandemic.

Bookings for the New Year holiday period on Alibaba Group Holdings' Fliggy surged by more than three times from a year earlier and some of the popular destinations were Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, the United States, and Australia.

During the three days, 135 million people traveled in China, up by almost three times year-over-year, and a 9 percent boost from 2019, according to the culture and tourism ministry. Tourism revenue reached CNY79.73 billion (USD11.2 billion), a more than threefold year-on-year increase and a 6 percent gain from 2019.

On Trip.Com’s website, the top five destinations were Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Hangzhou. The platform reveals new tourism trends such as ice and snow tours, trips to see concerts, self-driving tours, cruises, and customizable itineraries.

Several locations launched activities on New Year’s Eve and policies to promote consumption, kicking off a good year for tourism, according to a research institute of Trip.Com.

Editor: Emmi Laine