China Could Reopen for International Travel Next Year – Vaccination Drives Ongoing

China may reopen its borders for international travel in the first half of next year according to a leading expert in the field of infectious diseases, Zhang Wenhong. Speaking at the Boao Forum for Asia in the Chinese city of Qingdao in June 2021, he further added that such resumption of travel would also depend on certain factors; these included local and global vaccination rates and the speed at which mutated variants surface.

The country is continuing its vaccination drives and hopes to vaccinate 80% of the population by the end of this year which will help it achieve herd immunity to combat COVID-19. Apart from vaccination programmes, there are strict health protocols in place including when it comes to accommodation not only in the capital but in other key cities like Xi’an; hotels here such as the centrally located Grand Park Xian have adopted enhanced sanitisation and hygiene measures to ensure safe stays be it for domestic or foreign travellers.