(Yicai) Sept. 7 -- China's tourism recovery is heating up as some tours to Europe over the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, observed in about three weeks, are already sold out.

Spring Tour is taking no more reservations for some tours to Europe during the holiday that starts on Sept. 29, the Shanghai-based travel agency said to Yicai. Some of the hottest destinations include Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Italy, Hungary, Croatia, Greece, Iceland, and Denmark. Moreover, the lengthy visa processes require making bookings well in advance.

Another travel agency, Tongcheng Travel, said that in the past week, the number of domestic flight bookings for the holiday period surged by over 40 percent from a week ago. The number of international flight reservations increased by more than 35 percent.

Tourism companies have been repairing their supply chains after China resumed group tours to a third batch of countries and regions last month, adding almost 80 more possible destinations. For example, Tuniu resumed its classic routes of Australia and New Zealand, as well as Austria-Hungary-the Czech Republic. It also goes to Germany, France, Italy, and Switzerland now.

Australia’s tourism office said that the country is looking forward to welcoming more Chinese tourists during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday thanks to the rapid restoration of airline capacity, the resumption of group tours, and the convenient e-visa application process.

The first post-Covid milestone of outbound travel recovery can be reached during the holiday, per Cheng Chaogong, chief researcher of the Tongcheng Research Institute. Tours to Southeast Asia could recover strongly, and long-distance tours to Europe and the United States might perform well, boosting demand for air tickets and accommodation, Cheng added.

Editor: Emmi Laine