As the Chinese tourism industry begins to recover from the impacts of the three-year pandemic, travelers eager to plan their summer vacations are facing difficulties in booking visa appointments for their desired destinations due to overcrowding. Major cities in China, such as Beijing and Shanghai, are experiencing fully booked Schengen and US visa application sites until the end of the year, causing frustration and discouraging many potential travelers.
Visa appointment availability for popular destinations like Germany has already been filled until October or November, causing Chinese tourists to miss out on their summer vacations and the Chinese National Day holidays. The German visa application centers in Shanghai and Beijing are currently unable to offer any available appointment slots, with the earliest appointment date in Beijing set for September 12. Third-party online booking platforms for German visas have reported that the earliest departure date for Schengen visa applicants in Shanghai is December 16, meaning that those who apply now can only spend Christmas in Germany.
Similar situations are occurring for other popular Schengen countries such as France, Spain, and Italy, where visa application appointment dates are mostly scheduled for December or later. The United States, another sought-after destination for summer outbound travel, has appointment waiting times stretching into November and December. According to the US Consulate General Shanghai’s visa appointment website, a waiting time of 128 days, or four months, is estimated for B1/B2 tourist visa appointments.
Han Jie, head of CYTS Aoyou Travel Technology Development, acknowledged the difficulties faced by tourists in securing visa appointments and advised customers to consider countries with simpler visa application processes to ensure a smooth summer trip. Industry insiders attribute the surge in visa applications this year to the backlog accumulated over the past three years.
Ctrip, one of China’s largest travel agencies, reported that summer outbound flights have recovered to over half of pre-pandemic levels, and the search popularity for summer outbound flight tickets has surpassed the same period in 2019. Ctrip’s visa platform predicts that the number of Chinese tourists’ outbound visa applications during the summer season is expected to exceed the figures from 2019.
Short-distance trips are expected to dominate Chinese travelers’ summer outbound travel, with Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia being the top five popular destinations. However, for long-haul trips, Europe remains a favored choice for many tourists.
Despite the high demand, Ctrip data reveals low availability for trips to most European countries and the United States, while destinations such as Australia and the UK are witnessing a higher number of visa applications. Concerns about potential visa rejections after waiting for extended periods have become a major worry for Chinese tourists planning to visit the US and Europe.
Some travelers are exploring unconventional destinations and travel routes, including Cuba, Iran, Kenya, and Egypt, as an alternative to cope with the current challenges in popular destinations.