Shanghai has permitted the return of inter-provincial group tours as well as airline and accommodation packages, following the medium-risk residential complex in the Pudong New Area being deemed low-risk by authorities.

According to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism, services are only allowed to resume when the entire city has no medium-risk areas.

However, group tours to medium-and-high-risk regions are still prohibited.

Authorities in Shanghai have called for stricter measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 as new locally transmitted cases have been reported in several cities throughout China.

The Shanghai Administration said cultural and tourist venues across the city should implement rigorous reservation, registration, temperature controls and health QR code checks, as well as control visitor numbers.

Inspections have been ramped up at cultural and tourist venues such as hotels, theatres and entertainment areas.

Shanghai Spring Tour said on Tuesday reservation numbers for its tour services had recovered 66% compared to early July, before the most recent coronavirus outbreak, beginning in Nanjing.

The tour operator added that Qinghai, Gansu and Sichuan provinces were the most popular destinations for group tours.

The restrictions severely impacted the tourism industry over summer, with operators increasing local tourism offerings such as hotel packages and walking tours, said Zhou Weihong, deputy general manager of Shanghai Spring Tour.

After the restrictions were lifted, searches for tourist attractions and hotels in Shanghai, as well as rail tickets to the city, increased five-fold compared to the same time last year, according to online travel operator Tongcheng-Elong.