Since the start of this year, a series of measures including visa policy optimizations, increased international flights, enhanced payment convenience, and the docking of international cruise ships have led to a noticeable uptick in inbound tourist groups across various regions. Just recently, large German tour groups have been spotted at Temple of Heaven in Beijing, while Korean tourists from Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, seem to be everywhere. Japanese tourist groups have even ventured into Sichuan Province to catch a glimpse of the giant pandas. With more and more foreign visitors stepping onto Chinese soil for spring excursions, it's evident that our inbound tourism market is picking up speed.
Diversified Offerings: Welcoming the Spring Season
From scaling the Great Wall in Beijing to wandering through the Yu Garden in Shanghai, indulging in barbecue delights in Xinjiang Province, delving into museums to uncover China's rich history, and exploring city streets and alleys on captivating Citywalks—foreign tourists visiting China today can experience both traditional highlights and trendy off-the-beaten-path adventures.
On March 10, the American cruise ship Zuiderdam docked in Dalian City, welcoming over 2,000 tourists from the United States, Canada, Germany, and other nations to embark on experiential journeys featuring sightseeing tours, home visits, and leisure shopping along various routes. They hopped aboard the century-old Tram Route No. 201, marveling at the scenery along the way and soaking in the cultural charm of Dalian City.
In recent days, Zhangjiajie has become a magnet for Korean visitors. Whether strolling through the Ten-Mile Natural Gallery or traversing the peaks and forests in sightseeing cars, Korean tourists have been a common sight. Statistics indicate that from January to mid-March this year, Zhangjiajie welcomed 178,500 inbound tourists, with Korean visitors accounting for over 40% of that number at 73,000.
On January 22, Korean tourists braved the snow to explore Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province. (Photo by Deng Daoli)
On March 16, 24 tourists flew directly from Luxembourg to Zhengzhou City, setting foot on the Central Plains of China and marking the first inbound tourist group to visit Henan Province since the opening of the Air Silk Road passenger route between Henan Prvince and Luxembourg. Liang Yaofeng, chairman of Nimbus Travel Co., Ltd., disclosed plans to organize additional tourist groups from Bulgaria, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Spain, Vietnam, and other countries to visit Henan Province.
The German cruise ship "AIDAnova" recently made port in Shanghai City. From March 19 to 21, 350 German tourists made a whirlwind visit to Beijing. Their itinerary included scaling the Great Wall at Juyong Pass, strolling through the spring-blossoming royal garden Summer Palace, and exploring the classic architectural wonders of the Temple of Heaven—a tightly-packed schedule that could be aptly dubbed an "elite foreign forces tour."
German tourists posing at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests in the Temple of Heaven Park, Beijing
Freshly baked naan, shelves stocked with exotic dried fruits, an array of handicrafts... On March 21, 33 tourists from Kazakhstan embarked on a sightseeing and shopping spree in Urumqi. Yang Shuguo, general manager of Xinjiang Xiyu International Travel Agency, highlighted the popularity of the agency's diverse boutique routes among tourists from Central Asia.
Since the implementation of reciprocal visa exemptions between China and Thailand, the influx of Thai tourists through Kunming and Xishuangbanna airports in Yunnan Province has been swift. Since March, over 7,000 Thai nationals have entered via Kunming airport alone.
Canadian blogger Alina recently touched down in Guangzhou from Colombo, Sri Lanka. "I decided to embark on a journey to China three months ago. Prior to my departure, I sought advice from friends who had visited China, downloaded VPNs, Alipay, and more, and upon arrival, I promptly purchased a SIM card, making sightseeing a breeze." On her second day in Guangzhou, Alina commenced a live stream on Beijing Road pedestrian street, asserting, "Traveling in China is incredibly safe. As a solo female traveler, I feel completely at ease."
Addressing Challenges through Collaborative Efforts
Continuous refinements to China's visa policies for foreign nationals, concerted efforts to enhance inbound tourism payment services, expanded flight capacities by multiple airlines, and incentives introduced by various regions and enterprises for overseas promotion and negotiations—all demonstrate a collective resolve to address bottlenecks hindering inbound tourism development. As Minister of Culture and Tourism Sun Yeli articulated during the "Minister's Corridor" at the National Two Sessions, the persistent resolution to tackle challenges head-on is gradually yielding results in the realm of inbound tourism.
A recent symposium convened by the Shaanxi provincial government saw travel agencies, platform enterprises, tourism associations, airports, and other entities collectively analyzing the impediments to inbound tourism and devising corresponding strategies. Xu Mingfei, vice governor of Shaanxi Province, underscored plans to intensify overseas market promotions, ramp up efforts to publicize visa policies at entry ports, deepen collaboration with inbound tourism hubs such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, restore and expand flights to key source countries and neighboring nations, refine the reservation mechanisms for cultural and scenic spots, and enhance the convenience of overseas tourists' payment transactions.
"Hainan Province is committed to offering a more diverse, exhilarating, and convenient array of 'boutique experiences' for inbound tourists exploring the island," shared Chen Tiejun, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports of Hainan Province. He highlighted the launch of the "Hainan Fangxin Pay" mobile app, which has commenced trials in the taxi industry in Sanya City to address the challenge of inconvenient taxi fare payments for overseas visitors. Hainan has also devised plans to roll out six thematic and twelve boutique inbound tourism routes.
To tackle issues like insufficient international flight capacities, Beijing is tirelessly expanding jointly built international passenger routes with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, accelerating the restoration of routes to destinations like the United States from both Beijing airports, and bolstering flights to Southeast Asia, West Asia, and beyond. Additionally, to streamline services at Beijing Capital International Airport and Beijing Daxing International Airport, "Beijing Service" windows have been promptly established to provide foreign nationals with comprehensive services ranging from consultation to payment and tourism arrangements.
The Department of Culture and Tourism of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region has been actively engaging with tourism departments of countries like South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Russia to implement the "Million People Mutual Visits" overseas upgrade plan. This initiative aims to guide tourism enterprises in resolving inbound tourism transportation challenges through flexible means such as charter flights while expanding inbound tourism routes from regions like Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, and Southeast Asia.
Yi Jieliang, head of the Tourism Industry Management Section at the Culture, Tourism, Radio, Television and Sports Bureau of Zhangjiajie, emphasized, "This year, we are focusing on nurturing ASEAN and Japanese and South Korean source markets, and we continue to open routes to South Korea, including Incheon, Busan, and Cheongju. Simultaneously, currency exchange points have been established at airports, high-speed rail stations, hotels, scenic spots, and other high-traffic areas, comprehensively enhancing the environment for inbound payment services."
Accumulating Strength and Making Steady Progress
The recovery of inbound tourism involves various aspects, including the degree of facilitation for inbound travelers, optimization of the business environment, promotion of inbound tourism, and restructuring of the industry chain. The industry widely believes that accelerating the recovery and development of inbound tourism requires joint efforts from all parties and a persistent, gradual approach.
"The current period is crucial for overseas tour wholesalers to plan next year's market and product designs. With multiple favorable policy effects stacking up, I believe that China's inbound tourism market will accelerate its recovery," remarked Sun Guizhen, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Association of Travel Services. However, challenges such as internet access for foreign tourists and booking difficulties for scenic spots and train tickets still need to be addressed. For domestic ground reception agencies, rising costs of resource procurement and talent shortages in inbound tourism, especially in foreign sales and multilingual tour guide personnel, remain pressing issues that cannot be resolved in the short term.
Sun Guizhen suggested conducting regional integrated promotions during the overseas tourism promotion process, strengthening support for travel agencies, focusing on the cultivation of inbound tourism talents, and enhancing industry supervision. Simultaneously, travel agencies should boldly experiment with product routes, operating models, and customer acquisition.
Liu Xiangyan, Deputy Researcher at the International Research Institute of the China Tourism Academy, analyzed, "From an external perspective, negative coverage by some Western media has affected the willingness of foreign tourists to travel to China. Internally, the rapid development of the domestic tourism industry has provided new products and scenes for inbound tourism, but overcrowding in many destinations has deterred foreign tourists."
"It is recommended to further increase the number of visa-exempt countries, extend the visa-free stay for remote source countries, and comprehensively improve the accessibility of foreign tourists. After the complete closure of Hainan Island, it is proposed to allow overseas tourists to use overseas social software. Additionally, experts and scholars in fields such as history, archaeology, literature, and art should be allowed to provide interpretation services for inbound tourists part-time. Pilot programs could include overseas personnel, including students studying in China, obtaining tour guide certificates," suggested Liu Xiangyan.
Zhang Ruoyu, Director of the Tourism Office of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul, recommended strengthening the foreign language training of tourism service personnel, standardizing foreign language signage in public places, improving foreign language guide services, and enhancing the safety management and hygiene levels of tourist attractions to increase the satisfaction and trust of inbound tourists. "In the next step, the Tourism Office of the Chinese Embassy in Seoul will continue to promote the national tourism image and domestic tourist destination marketing, strengthen visits and research on the Korean tourist market, and understand the diverse needs of Korean tourists in a timely manner."
