BEIJING — China has assisted a total of 250,000 outbound Chinese group tourists to return home since the outbreak of COVID-19, Liu Kezhi, an official with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, said on Feb 26.

After the suspension of tourist services in travel agencies and online tourist platforms on Jan 24, the ministry and diplomatic and civil aviation departments started helping stranded Chinese group tourists overseas to gradually return through chartered flights or by altering flight tickets, Liu said at a press conference in Beijing.

The work of bringing outbound Chinese group tourists home has been carried forward in an orderly manner with the joint efforts of related departments of foreign affairs, civil aviation and customs, according to Liu.

The number of China's outbound group tourists had been reduced to less than 90 by the end of Feb 25, Liu said.