BEIJING, Aug. 10 -- China on Thursday announced the resumption of group tours to dozens of more overseas destinations, including Japan, Britain, the United States and Australia.

Starting Aug. 10, travel agencies and online tourism service providers in China can resume offering group tours to a longer list of countries and regions, according to a circular from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Relevant airline ticket and hotel booking services will also be resumed.

Since China previously initiated a pilot program to revive travel agencies' outbound group travel services, "the operations of the outbound tourism market have been stable and orderly, playing a positive role in promoting tourism exchanges and cooperation," the circular noted.

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, so measures have been taken to lift restrictions on Chinese people's overseas trips and promote cross-border personnel exchanges.