Can Pre-Booked Visits to Tourist Sites Become the New Normal?

During the recent May Day holiday, China saw a strong rebound in the tourism sec-tor, with 115 million domestic tourists flocking to attractions nationwide. Promoted as a part of measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), reserva-tions were required for prospective visitors by more than 80 percent of the country’s major scenic sites, via official websites, social media apps like WeChat or third-party platforms. Daily caps on the number of visitors were imposed at these sites, particularly in cities rich in historical and cultural attractions such as Beijing and Xi’an in the northwestern province of Shaanxi.

After the COVID-19 outbreak was brought under control, tourist destinations across China have reopened in phases since February. In mid-April, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Health Commission jointly