China has resumed outbound group tours for Chinese citizens to another 40 countries starting from March 15. It is the second batch of destinations in China's pilot program for outbound group tours. Chinese tourists now have far more choices for group travels abroad. The 40 countries on the new list for outbound tours include Nepal, Vietnam, Iran, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Brazil. It brings the total number of countries and regions in the pilot program to 60. With the notice issued on March 10, the searches on Trip.com in some countries increased more than 300 percent compared with the previous day. From January 8 to March 8, air ticket bookings for mainland tourists to France increased more than six times year-on-year, while hotel bookings increased 16 times on Trip.com. Meanwhile, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said China's visa authorities abroad will resume issuing all categories of visas to foreigners. The decision will further facilitate travel between China and the world.