Photo: Kyodo News/AP

China restores travel visas for South Korea today.

Last month, China blocked travel visas for South Korean travelers after Seoul imposed similar restrictions on Chinese travelers in response to Beijing’s abrupt lifting of its zero-COVID policy. The South Korean government feared a sudden influx of Chinese travelers, many of whom lack vaccine boosters or immunity from previous infections, would result in a spike in COVID cases.

China has in fact suffered a massive wave of cases this past month following the end of zero-COVID. While official deaths number around 87,00, those only count fatalities directly caused by coronavirus. Outside experts place the death count far higher, in the 1-1.5 million range. Case numbers appear to be moderating, as South Korea has lifted restrictions early in response to decreased case counts among Chinese arrivals.

Expect a rapid increase in Chinese tourism to South Korea in the short to medium-term. South Korea was a major tourism destination for Chinese travelers prior to COVID, and they will likely seek to resume foreign business and pleasure trips after years of stringent lockdown. This will likely provide a short-term boost to the South Korean economy.