Macau plans to welcome back tour groups from mainland China as soon as November, giving a boost to its tourism-dependent economy, which has been hammered by a slump in visitors since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The first groups will be from Shanghai and four Chinese provinces including Guangdong, the Macau government said at a press conference Saturday, after receiving the go-ahead from the Chinese authorities. But the city will tighten travel restrictions again if Covid outbreaks resurface, it said.

The once bustling gambling hub has taken a heavy blow from China’s Covid-zero policy. Gaming revenue fell by about half in August from a year earlier as fewer Chinese travelers were able to enter the former Portuguese colony.