Tourists from Italy pose for a group photo after practicing Tai Chi at the Tiantan Park (Temple of Heaven) in Beijing, capital of China, July 9, 2024. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)
BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- China recently has recorded an inrush of foreign travelers. The booming inbound tourism has created the buzzword "China Travel" on overseas social media platforms, reported the Xinhua-run China Securities Journal.
To welcome global tourists, China has launched a series of visa-free policies and convenient payment services. Chinese provinces, regions, and cities are also increasing the supply of tourism products and services.
-- Booming inbound tourism
"We're impressed by Beijing's scenic spots and cuisine. Everyone of us hopes to explore Beijing as much as possible in limited time," a Russian tourist said when ordering food with his friends at a hot pot restaurant in the commercial street of Shichahai in Beijing. The Russian tourists have been in the capital city for four days and will continue their journey in China for another three days before returning to Russia.
The number of foreigners dining at the hot pot restaurant has been increasing significantly since the start of this year, especially in recent days, said a staff of the restaurant, adding that a menu in English has been provided for foreign tourists to better meet their demands.
In the first half of this year, China welcomed 14.64 million international visitors, a 153 percent leap from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA).
Foreign passengers line up at the immigration inspection section of Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, July 10, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Xin)
China Tourism Academy (CTA) found in a survey that over 60 percent of interviewed inbound travelers came to China primarily for a taste of its culture.
Foreign tourists coming to China are no longer just for the purpose of exploring exotic lands. They blend their trips with personal interests, like strolling through a wet market, learning to make Xiaolongbao (steamed buns), and practicing Tai Chi in east China's Shanghai; reveling in exquisite Chinese dishes, joining "Dama" (Chinese aunties) in square dancing; visiting southwest China's Sichuan Province to have an encounter with giant pandas, etc.
More foreign bloggers are entering China, bringing cameras to record what they see in the wonderland that arouses their curiosity. Through their lens, achievements of China's high-quality development are unfolded: beverage ordered online is delivered by a drone, mobile phone 5G signal remains strong even in a high mountain top, fuel vehicles and electric vehicles are running side by side on the roads...
As they shared their firsthand "China Travel" experiences on social media platforms, a real China is presented to the world, inspiring more people to explore the country.
The NIA said the number of foreigners visiting China is expected to continue rising in the second half of this year.
-- Favorable measures and enhanced services
The influx of international tourists is partly thanks to favorable measures such as the 144-hour visa-free transit policy and convenient tourism services like mobile payment.
In the first half of this year, 8.54 million international visitors entered China through visa-free entry, surging 190 percent year on year, according to the NIA.
As of July 17, 41 exit-entry ports in China have implemented the 72-hour or 144-hour visa-free transit policy for foreign nationals from 54 countries, showed data released by the State Council on its website.
From July 30, people from countries with diplomatic relations with China can visit the southern island province of Hainan visa-free for 144 hours via tour groups registered in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, the NIA announced on the same day.
"The 144-hour visa-free transit policy is a reflection of China's continuous efforts to promote high-standard opening up, facilitate people-to-people exchanges with other countries, and boost international cooperation," said Wang Yalei, an analyst with the Ctrip Research Institute, adding that the visa-free transit policy is expected to catalyze the growth in inbound tourism in summer.
In terms of payment services, mobile payment service offered by Alipay and WeChat Pay makes payment easier for foreigners.
An Indian passenger (L) asks about WeChat Pay, one of China's major mobile payment platforms, at Terminal 2 of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, April 3, 2024. (Xinhua/Deng Hua)
"The registration process on Alipay is extremely simple. We primarily use Alipay for shopping in China," a tourist from Russia noted. "The seamless mobile payment experience makes us feel that traveling and shopping in China is particularly delightful."
Yan Fang, director of the Payment and Settlement Department of the People's Bank of China (PBOC), introduced that foreign nationals coming to China can register for Alipay and WeChat Pay using their overseas phone numbers and bind their overseas bank cards for payment. People from nine countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, and Mongolia can directly use overseas e-wallets to scan QR codes for payment.
Over 5 million inbound travelers used mobile payments in the first six months of this year, showing a fourfold increase compared to the same period last year. More than 90 million transactions were made, amounting to over 14 billion yuan, up sevenfold year on year, showed data from the PBOC.
China will optimize entry policies and consumption environments, provide diversified payment services, and study the possibility of granting visa-free entry to more countries, according to a guideline issued by the State Council on August 3.
-- Increasing tourism offerings supply
To welcome global tourists, Chinese provinces and cities are taking actions to increase the supply of tourism products and services.
Guangzhou City in south China's Guangdong Province began offering free one-day tour services, including free buses, English-speaking tour guides, sightseeing and lunch, to international transit passengers from the end of June this year.
"We hope that through such services, international passengers can gain a better understanding of Guangzhou and the hospitable Guangzhou people," said Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Guangzhou Municipal Culture, Radio, Television, and Tourism Bureau.
Central China's Henan Province is famous as the capital of many ancient dynasties in the Chinese history, the hometown of Huangdi, who is the legendary common ancestor of all Chinese people, the home to Shaolin Temple, which is the birthplace of Zen and Shaolin kungfu, the 711-kilometer Henan section of the Yellow River, etc. Henan made it clear on a special meeting held on July 30 that it would take advantages of these tourism resources with its intellectual properties to attract more international tourists.
South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region will support tourism enterprises in launching diversified inbound tourism products and routes. In the meantime, it will promote the provision of signs and guidance services in foreign languages at cultural and tourism venues, and conduct personnel training to enhance services for international visitors, said Gan Lin, an official with the department of culture and tourism of Guangxi.
China will make efforts to promote the integrated development of culture and tourism, encourage and guide the application of technologies in the cultural and tourism fields, and develop new tourism formats such as immersive cultural and tourism experience programs, tourism performances, nighttime cultural and tourism activities to allow foreign tourists to enjoy the country's gorgeous natural beauty and splendid civilization during their trips, according to Fu Hanxiao, deputy director of the industrial development department of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
(Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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