Travellers began streaming into mainland China by air, land and sea on Sunday, many eager for long-awaited reunions, as Beijing opened borders that have been all but shut since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Posted: Jan 08, 2023 5:51 AM ET | Last Updated: 6 hours ago
Long queues formed at Hong Kong's international airport for flights to mainland cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Xiamen, and some Hong Kong media outlets estimated that thousands of people were travelling across."I'm so happy, so happy, so excited. I haven't seen my parents for many years," said Hong Kong resident Teresa Chow as she and dozens of other travellers prepared to cross into mainland China from Hong Kong's Lok Ma Chau checkpoint early on Sunday.
Passengers from Hong Kong arrive at Terminal 3 international arrival hall of the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on Sunday. Many Chinese are also expected to start travelling abroad, a long-awaited shift for tourist spots in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia, though several governments — worried about China's COVID spike — are imposing curbs on travellers from the country.Travel will not quickly return to pre-pandemic levels due to such factors as a dearth of international flights, analysts say.
Other people waiting at the airport included a group of females fans carrying long lens cameras in hope of catching a glimpse of South Korean boy band Tempest, the first idol group from South Korea to enter China in the past three years.
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