Chinese stay close to home after coronavirus brought under control

China`s first test of travel demand after its coronavirus outbreak was the Qingming festival last weekend, but rather than hopping on a plane or train, Shan Mingyu and five of her family drove to a resort town close to her eastern home of Yixing.

"We did not want to travel too far away and we did not want to take public transport," said the 22-year-old student, who spent about a month cooped up at home during China`s lockdown to rein in the virus.

"At the resort, we booked a villa so the whole family could stay together. We even brought a bottle of ethanol to sterilise the place."

The global tourism industry is closely watching trends in China for clues to travel patterns in other major markets once the virus, which has infected 1.4 million and killed 83,400 worldwide, is under control and curbs on movement are lifted.

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Shan`s family is not alone in its caution even as China, where the pandemic originated late last year, pulls the virus situation under control, data from Ctrip, run by online travel giant Trip.com Group Ltd