BEIJING, Jan. 20 -- China will roll out a pilot program to revive the country's outbound group travel services, said a circular released Friday by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Starting Feb. 6, travel agencies and online tourism service providers in China will be permitted to provide group tours of 20 countries, including Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Russia and Cuba.

Relevant airline ticket and hotel booking services will be resumed as well, said the circular.

China's outbound group travel market was halted in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the country has optimized its epidemic response, measures have been taken to lift the restrictions on Chinese people's overseas trips and promote cross-border personnel exchanges.