After almost a whole month's suspension of business, travel agencies can at last see some light at the end of the tunnel. They expect business to return to normal, though the rebound to pre-SARS levels is not expected to come in the immediate future.

The China National Tourism Administration announced yesterday that the country will resume domestic travel from June and inbound tour business from July.

According to the administration, from June tourists can be encouraged to travel inside their own provinces.

It said residents in Guangdong Province will be allowed to participate in travel groups to Hong Kong and Macao from June.

Other provinces should make their own decisions on whether to resume provincial trips but are still forbidden to organize outbound trips.

Yesterday, several local and overseas newspapers published stories saying that the ban on travel to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand -- the three most popular overseas destinations with local travelers -- has been lifted.

The Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administrative Commission said yesterday it was not aware of the change, but it "would map out detailed guidelines once the official document from Beijing arrives," according to Huang Guangrong, an official from the commission.

"We welcome the decision. The time is right for this," said Edmund Chua, Singapore Tourism Board's regional director responsible for China. "Both governments have accumulated adequate experiences in handling the disease."

For tour operators, the news came earlier than expected.

"We thought that our business wouldn't be re-started until September, but it now seems possible to organize group tours at least to areas around Shanghai by the end of next month," said Li Junhua, president of the Shanghai Dazhong International Travel Service.

"The fear (of travel) will last for a certain period," cautioned Li Huaifa, vice president of the Shanghai China Travel Service. "I believe it will take time for the tourism industry to rebound to pre-SARS levels."

(Eastday.com May 31, 2003)