A tour group consisting of residents of Hangzhou and Taizhou in Zhejiang province poses for a photo before their trip to Jilin province in Northeast China on July 28.[Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

A tour group organized by China Travel Service Zhejiang Group Co headed to Jilin province in Northeast China on July 28. It is the first inter-province group tour among Zhejiang-based tourism agencies since the province began allowing such tours again last weekend.

The Zhejiang provincial department of culture and tourism sent out an official notice lifting the ban on inter-province group tourism on July 24.

Many of the province's residents haven't been able to travel for months due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The past few days saw a surge in inquiries concerning inter-province group tours departing from Hangzhou, the provincial capital. Hainan province, Yunnan province, and Northwest China were the most frequently mentioned travel destinations in these inquiries.