Tourism surge fosters people-to-people bonds between China, Canada

Since the full resumption of group tours from China to Canada last November, tourism has rapidly evolved into a powerful driver of people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

Huang Shengxia, a sales manager at the Luohu Yitian Holiday Department of China International Travel Service Shenzhen Co., Ltd., is thrilled to share that her Canada tours are nearly sold out.

"This tour stands out for three reasons: direct flights from Shenzhen, a deep-dive into Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler, and expert guides. Plus, we've added unique Spring Festival touches," said Huang.

To meet the increasing demand, airlines have expanded direct services, now offering 36 weekly non-stop flights between China and Canada, making travel significantly more accessible.

For travelers like Ling Xiongjian, who is part of the first tour group departing on December 24, this trip is a dream come true.

"We've always wanted to travel after retiring. This first group tour to Canada will take us to see the snow in Whistler and feel Victoria's charm. We're sure our first trip to Canada will be wonderful," said Ling.

"Our inaugural tour group marks a breakthrough from zero. We anticipate growth from double digits to triple digits, gradually recovering to the pre-pandemic level of four digits. I believe the China-Canada tourism trend will continue to grow steadily," said Fion Wan, vice general manager of Outbound Travel Company (LT) with the China International Travel Service Shenzhen Co., Ltd.

This surge in travel follows China's decision on November 3, 2025, to resume group tours to Canada, which had been suspended since 2020. Beijing said that this move is part of a broader initiative to strengthen people-to-people ties.

Further boosting the momentum, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will make an official visit to China from January 14 to 17, with the goal of solidifying the progress in China-Canada relations to benefit both nations.

Destination Canada, the national tourism marketing agency, forecasts over 650,000 visitors from China this year, generating approximately 2.6 billion U.S. dollars in spending. This would position China as Canada's second-largest source of international tourism revenue.

"China has always been one of the most important overseas markets for Destination Canada. We are deepening cooperation with Chinese partners to create more themed, in-depth tours and warmly welcome all travelers to discover Canada's natural wonders," said Tian Jiawei, travel trade manager of Destination Canada.

The travel boom between China and Canada is now in full swing, serving as a clear indicator of recovering global connections and a growing cultural interest between the two nations.

Tourism surge fosters people-to-people bonds between China, Canada

China's blue-chip CSI 300 Index made modest gains in the past week thanks to the huge electrification campaign that reduces the country's exposure to the volatile oil price as the continuing conflict in the Middle East enters the second week, said an analyst on Friday.

Chinese stocks closed lower on Friday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index down 0.81 percent to 4,095.45 points.

Timothy Pope, a market analyst for China Global Television Network, said the CSI 300 Index made modest gains despite a rough week for both Chinese and global stock markets.

"The conflict in the Middle East really shows no sign of winding down and it has been as you said another rough week for the global markets. Today the Shanghai Composite Index closed down 0.8 percent, and ended lower for the week as well, but the blue-chip CSI 300 Index actually managed to make some modest gains this week. And that fits what we've been hearing from analysts and investment banks, including Morgan Stanley and UBS. They've said that China's got less oil exposure than other economies. This is partly because of the huge electrification campaign which has been happening in China from family cars to road haulage, and also just the total energy mix here. But we know that oil isn't the only thing that's not getting out of the Middle East at the moment. Fertilizer has emerged as another big disruption point and we have seen in the last 48 hours China already begin early releases of fertilizer reserves ahead of the spring planting season. With all that in the mix we have seen the likes of Morgan Stanley and UBS touting A-shares as a diversification option and a resilient market in this risk-off investment environment," said Pope.

"Sector-wise today we saw some consumer stocks rising -- led by liquor makers, in particular, Kweichow Moutai. There were also some limited gains for Chinese real estate and financial firms. But with the oil price still extremely volatile, Chinese resources and energy shares pulled back today to become the two worst-performing sectors," said Pope.

Chinese blue-chip stocks make gains amid a rough week for global markets: analyst