China to partially resume overseas group tours, Japan not included

China said Friday it will allow group tours to resume to 20 countries starting Feb. 6 after it reopened its borders and abandoned quarantine measures earlier this month in a full departure from its strict “zero-COVID” policy, but Japan was not among the destinations.

Beijing suspended overseas group tours in January 2020 amid the spread of COVID-19. The 20 countries include Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

In addition to group tours, travelers will be able to resume booking airline tickets and hotel packages. The Chinese Culture and Tourism Ministry said the restart on a trial basis i...