"The international travel market is still on a recovery track. Considering that international leisure travel boasts higher price sensitivity for consumers compared with international business travel, it will still take some time for the market to return to the peak levels seen before the pandemic," Li said.

For outbound travel, parents and their children, as well as college graduates, have preferred destinations that offer beach resorts. Thailand, the Maldives, New Zealand, Indonesia and Vietnam have been sought after by Chinese travelers, Tuniu found.

Meanwhile, domestic carriers have been ramping up efforts to launch or resume more international flights to cater to growing summer air travel demand. Beginning July 1, Shanghai-based private carrier Juneyao Airlines launched flights from Beijing Daxing International Airport to Japan and South Korea.

Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines plans to increase the frequency of its flights from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Tokyo and Busan, South Korea, to its daily flight lineup. And from July 2, China Eastern added more flights connecting Nanjing, Jiangsu province, and Tokyo to three times a week, it said.

The International Air Transport Association projects that some 4.35 billion people are expected to travel by air in 2023, which is closing in on the 4.54 billion who took to the skies in 2019. This year, total revenue of carriers around the world is expected to grow 9.7 percent year-on-year to $803 billion. This is the first time that industry revenue will top the $800 billion mark since 2019, which recorded a total revenue of $838 billion.

IATA's passenger polling data in May found that 41 percent of travelers indicated that they expected to take more trips in the next 12 months than in the previous year, and 49 percent expected to undertake the same level of travel. Moreover, 77 percent of respondents indicated that they were already traveling as much or more than they did prior to the pandemic.

"Airline financial performance in 2023 is beating expectations. Stronger profitability is supported by several positive developments. China lifted COVID-19 restrictions earlier in the year than anticipated," said Willie Walsh, IATA's director-general.

In the meantime, domestic industry observers said traditional sightseeing tours have seen some challenges, such as product homogenization and insufficient marketing appeal. Themed tours, such as trips coupled with research and learning, are expected to gain more favor from travelers.

For the design of research-themed trips, features of learning, instead of travel alone, have been constantly highlighted. After the national college entrance examination concluded in early June, a large number of recent graduates have shown a growing desire to tour university campuses.

In Beijing, Peking University, Tsinghua University, the Forbidden City and the National Museum of China are on the list of top destinations among research-themed trips, according to tourism industry expert Xiao Yuanshan.

Between June 9 and June 12, or right after the national college entrance examination wrapped up, the number of flights booked by travelers aged between 17 and 19 jumped significantly, and booking volumes surged threefold over the previous week, according to Beijing-based online travel agency Qunar.

In addition, as China has been experiencing continuous sweltering temperatures nationwide, taking a summer vacation to seaside cities has become the first choice for many people. Popular destinations include Xiamen, Fujian province; Qingdao and Weihai of Shandong province; Haikou and Sanya of Hainan province; and Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, said Qunar.

In June, the search volume of keywords such as "seasides, folk customs, rural areas, parent-child travel", and "taking trips to neighboring areas" surged 280 percent over May, according to Tujia, an online homestay operator.

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