BEIJING, Aug 10 Reuters China has lifted pandemicera restrictions on group tours for more countries, including key markets such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia in a potential boon for their tourism industries.

The decision was announced by China39;s culture and tourism ministry on Thursday, effective immediately.

Prior to the pandemic, mainland Chinese tourists spent more than any other country39;s tourists when abroad, clocking up a combined 255 billion in 2019 with group tours estimated to account for roughly 60 of that.

Their absence since the pandemic has led to financial troubles for many tourismdependent businesses around the globe.

Germany and Britain were also among the countries for which restrictions were lifted but Canada, which has had especially politically fraught relations with China of late, was not reinstated.

It was the third list of countries to receive approvals. The first batch approved in January included 20 countries such as Thailand, Russia, Cuba and Argentina. The second batch in March included 40 countries, among them Nepal, France, Portugal and Brazil.

China has never explained its staggered approach to approvals but analysts have noted that the countries taking time to gain approval have had more political andor trade tension with the world39;s secondlargest economy.

It39;s a milestone for the full resumption of the outbound travel, and will also strongly push the resumption of international flights, especially…