An overseas tour group from Ningbo, Zhejiang province will depart for Thailand on Friday when Spring Airlines resumes direct flights between Ningbo and Bangkok.

Thirty Chinese tourists will take the flight operated by Spring Airlines to Bangkok at 9:25 am on Friday. It will be the first outbound tour group from Ningbo since the first COVID-19 outbreaks in 2020.

According to Yang Shipei, general manager of Zhejiang Chunqiu International Travel Agency, the first group tour product is a six-day combination travel package in Bangkok and Pattaya, and it costs 4,699 yuan ($692) per person.

"It includes round-trip air tickets, accommodation, coach services, catering, and entertainment such as elephant rides, visiting a crocodile farm, riding speedboats, and experiencing Thai massage," said Yang.

Members of the tour group are from cities such as Ningbo, Taizhou, Shaoxing, Zhoushan and Wenzhou. About 80 percent of them are retirees.

China resumed outbound group travel to 20 countries, including Thailand, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and New Zealand, on Monday.

According to Spring Airlines, starting Friday, the frequency of its direct flights between Ningbo and Bangkok will be four per week, with trips on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.