Data from travel platform have shown that inbound tourism orders to China increased by 130 percent during the five-day Labor Day holiday. Foreign tourists are not only targeting China's major metropolises but also choosing smaller cities to seek diversified experiences. Many travelers have also made purchases in the country, taking advantage of its newly released tax refund policies.
(Photo: Xinhua)
Experts said that as well as boosting the country's consumption and tourism sectors, the influx of international tourists to China also enables foreigners to gain first-hand experience of the real China, thereby enhancing the country's international image.
The number of inbound tourism orders surged by 130 percent year-on-year during the five-day Labor Day holiday starting Thursday, with many foreign travelers immersing themselves in agricultural experiences and "shopping in China", which has become a new trend, Trip.com Group, Chinese online travel service, told the Global Times on Monday.
The 240-hour visa-free policy and the refund-upon-purchase policy for tax-free shopping have comprehensively boosted inbound tourism for the holiday, according to a news release sent to the Global Times by Chinese travel platform Qunar.
In terms of the countries of origin for inbound tourism, tourists from the US, South Korea, and Japan account for the highest proportion. Among them, tourists from Australia saw the highest year-on-year growth rate, reaching 1.5 times; the growth rates of tourists from Vietnam and Canada also exceeded 80 percent, according to Qunar.
Judging by the booking of domestic flights on the Qunar platform during the holiday with non-Chinese passports, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou still rank among the top five destinations for inbound tourism. However, cities such as Chengdu, Xiamen, Nanjing, Chongqing, and Haikou have witnessed an increase of inbound tourists.
From May 1 to 3, Beijing saw 27,000 inbound trips, up 80.8 percent from last year, while Guangzhou saw 154,000 inbound trips, up 23 percent, according to border authorities. The Shanghai Border Inspection Station projected 594,000 passenger trips at the city's various ports between May 1 and 5, a year-on-year rise of 30.7 percent.
In addition to first-tier cities, foreign travelers are also beginning to deeply explore more places in China. Cities such as Zhuhai, Suzhou and Foshan witnessed an increase of foreign travelers during the holiday.
A Norwegian traveler named Vebjørn told the Global Times that he was impressed by his experience in Chongqing. "How do you capture the essence of a place like this?... the land of skyscrapers stacked up against the mountain walls. Extremely spicy and delicious hotpot to rattle your senses and torture your belly. Wandering in the neon night and creating a thousand memories. I truly love this city."
"One of the first things that impressed me the most was how efficient everything is in China. Anything can be ordered and delivered incredibly fast no matter where you are. Transportation is also very punctual. And I was very impressed by how many enormous cities there are, each with their own unique charm," said Vebjørn.
During the holiday, a video of a foreign traveler who went down to the fields to till the land with local famers in the Longji Rice Terraces in South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region went viral on China's social media. Netizens joked that the holiday is indeed the International Workers' Day, and the tourist has fully embraced the spirit of the holiday.
Sunny, a person in charge of marketing at the farm in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, part of the Wulingyuan scenic area that is famed for its towering quartz sandstone pillars, revealed that since April, overseas orders from countries including the US, Italy, and Spain have significantly increased. In addition to the landscape scenery of Zhangjiajie, tourists are showing growing keenness to participate in farming activities such as catching fish in the paddy fields and catching loaches, financial magazine Caijing reported.
In addition, topics with hashtags such as "shopping spree in Shanghai" and "foreigners going to Yiwu for purchases with suitcases" went viral on social media during the Labor Day holiday. The visa-free policy plus refund-upon-purchase policy for tax-free shopping and other measures have incentivized foreign travelers to place more purchases during their trips in China.
According to data from Trip.com Group, during the holiday, inbound tourism orders in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Yiwu, all shopping-friendly cities, increased by 138 percent, 188 percent, and 60 percent respectively year-on-year.
To welcome more international travelers, China has expanded visa-free policies to allow longer stays and wider travel within the country, simplified visa procedures, and introduced new conveniences such as instant tax refunds for departing visitors.
China was expected to see an average of 2.15 million daily border crossings during the five-day May Day holiday, representing a 27 percent increase from last year, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) said on April 28.
First-hand experience
The influx of foreign travelers can be attributed to China's openness, its world-class infrastructure designed to handle the surge in visitors, and the impact of numerous travel influencers. For example, US influencer IShowSpeed's livestreams have offered a glimpse into the real China, Tian Yun, an economist based in Beijing, told the Global Times.
"I've been dreaming of visiting China for so long, and I finally made it! Shanghai is everything I hoped for and more — modern, vibrant, and full of surprises. The people are incredibly kind, the food is amazing, and everything is so convenient," said Andres Reis, a Portuguese who came to China for the first time at the end of April.
As the government is now cultivating tourism consumption as a new economic growth point, the influx of inbound tourists and the enthusiasm for domestic consumption during the Labor Day holiday are likely to play a positive role in giving the economic data for May a good start, Tian said.
He noted that, especially against the backdrop of US tariffs against China, this tourism and consumption spree could serve as an effective hedge.
"China's inbound consumption holds great growth potential," said Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping at a press conference in April, noting that in 2024, spending by overseas visitors accounted for about 0.5 percent of the country's GDP, compared with one to three percent in major economies.
Moreover, amid the current complicated international background, more foreigners visiting China to gain first-hand experience of what China really is and the achievements the country has made in the past years is of vital importance for our international image, said Tian.
