Source: People's Daily Overseas Edition
Foreign tourists experience wearing Yi embroidery handicrafts during the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Yi Embroidery Show Beijing" activity. Photo by Weng Qiyu (People's Vision)
Inbound tourists stop by the booth set up in the arrival hall of Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Port to learn about cultural and creative products. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Aiping
Along the central axis of Beijing, visit the ancient buildings; At the Mausoleum Museum of the First Emperor of Qin, visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses up close; In the old town of Lijiang, feel the colorful folk customs...... For some time, "China Tour" has become a hot topic on overseas social platforms. Many foreign tourists come to China to view the scenery and share their travel experiences on social platforms, attracting a large number of overseas netizens to comment on the post.
According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, from January to July this year, 5.722 million foreigners visited China, a year-on-year increase of 403%. According to a special survey on the satisfaction of inbound tourists by the China Tourism Academy, more than 60% of the respondents regard experiencing Chinese culture as the main purpose of their trip to China. Culture and good life experiences form the core attraction of China's inbound tourism.
China "I've been there once and still want to go"
Not long ago, Hisham from Morocco took a stroll along Beijing's central axis. From the Wanchun Pavilion in Jingshan Park to the Hong'en Temple, along the way, a number of landmark buildings depict the style of the "spine of the ancient capital". "It's a very surprising tour, and it's amazing to experience the interweaving of historical sites and modern life." He said.
"I loved it so much! The experience of visiting the tour was very good. Romania tourist Bodnar has just finished his trip to Xi'an, Chengdu, Chongqing and other cities. In his mobile phone album, there are many photos of the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Qin Shi Huang and the beautiful scenery of the ancient buildings of the pavilions and pavilions. "Because I like China so much, I plan to go to China again at the end of this year, and go to Shenzhen and other places to see."
In Yunnan, Poland tourist Bernadette spent two weeks visiting several ancient cities. "I learned that Yunnan is located in southwestern China, which is home to many ethnic minorities such as Bai and Yao." She said. In Kunming, Bernadette changed into the costumes of ethnic minorities and experienced the local folk culture. "From Dali to the old town of Lijiang, it's definitely been an amazing journey." She said.
According to data from a number of travel platforms, the number of inbound travel orders increased by about 60% year-on-year during the National Day holiday, and many cities have become popular destinations for foreign tourists. According to the "2024 National Day Tourism Consumption Report" released by Ctrip Travel not long ago, the average daily number of inbound tourists on Ctrip increased by nearly 80% during the "National Day" holiday, and more than 50% of foreign tourists stayed in China for more than 7 days.
The China Tourism Academy (Data Center of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism) recently released a list of "Top 10 Scenic Resorts Loved by Inbound Tourists", and the Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall, and Qin Shi Huang Terracotta Warriors and Horses are among them. In addition, Lijiang Ancient Town in Yunnan, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town in Shanghai, and Wuzhen in Zhejiang Province have also been selected as one of the "Top 10 Famous Cities and Ancient Towns Loved by Inbound Tourists", becoming popular destinations for foreign tourists to visit China.
"More and more tourists are appreciating China's profound cultural heritage and unique charm." France's "20 Minutes" reported that foreign tourists have explored the rich and colorful customs in China and deepened their understanding of China. There are also some tourists who check in the ancient buildings of Shanxi because of the popularity of the game "Black Myth: Wukong". Many foreign tourists said that China "wants to go once and still want to go".
"Culture + service" enhances the attractiveness of tourism
What is the charm of "China Tour"? According to the analysis, the continuous optimization of the supply of cultural services and cultural products is one of the reasons.
Li Xinjian, executive director of the Capital Institute of Culture and Tourism Development of Beijing Second University of Foreign Chinese, said that in recent years, many innovative measures have been taken in various parts of China to promote the in-depth integration and development of culture and tourism. More and more "interesting" cultural tourism products make the cultural heritage left by the "ancestors" glow with lasting charm, and provide domestic and foreign tourists with "meaningful" cultural tourism experience.
According to the "Report on the High-quality Development of China's Inbound Tourism" recently released by the China Tourism Academy, inbound tourism, as the beginning of China's modern tourism service industry, is an important yardstick to measure the competitiveness of China's tourism. In the first half of 2024, the recovery and development of China's inbound tourism will continue to improve, and China's high-quality tourism resources and traditional culture will be favored by more tourists.
"Culture is the 'super power' that attracts international tourists to inbound tourism." Isabella ·Valentini, Deputy Director of the World Forum of Cultural Cities, said at the 2024 World Conference on Tourism Cooperation and Development held recently that cultural resources such as museums and traditional arts are important competitiveness of tourist destinations.
The popularity of "China Tour" is also due to the continuous optimization of amenities.
A few days ago, Beijing implemented the "full moon" of overseas bank card swiping to pass through the subway service, and the cumulative number of foreign card gate services has exceeded 30,000 person-times; Shanghai taxis and subway stations are equipped with foreign card POS machines, which support foreign card payment; Eight cities, including Chengdu and Xi'an, are also piloting new measures to facilitate payments for people coming to China.
Up to now, China has achieved full visa exemption with 24 countries, implemented visa-free entry policies for 16 countries, and implemented 72-hour or 144-hour transit visa-free policies for 54 countries.
"In order to meet the diverse needs of international tourists, China has taken a series of measures to improve the quality of tourism services." Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao reported that modern services such as mobile payment and online booking are widely used in the tourism field, bringing convenient and efficient travel experience to foreign tourists.
"China has introduced policies and measures to facilitate foreign nationals to come to China, and continued to optimize policies such as visa-free entry and transit visa-free, which has promoted the continuous increase in the number of foreigners coming to China. With the help of these preferential policies, China has provided more opportunities for foreigners to travel to China, and has also better demonstrated China's international cultural image to foreign tourists. Li Xinjian said.
The popularity of "China Tour" continues
"I want to go to China at the end of November, do you have any recommended attractions?" "My family and I want to go to China recently, can you refer to your itinerary?" "In China, is there a discount for staying in a hotel and buying tickets to attractions?" On overseas social media platforms, many foreign netizens and bloggers continue to share their experiences in China by posting short videos, graphic travelogues, etc. Many foreign netizens commented on the post and consulted the guide, expressing their desire to travel to China in the near future.
In the past few days, after finishing his trip in China, Bodnar has also joined the ranks of "Raiders". Under the hashtag "China Travel and Visa" on overseas social media, he shared his itinerary planning, budget list, and practical guides for buying tickets and booking hotels. He wrote: "I successfully completed my two-week trip based on tips shared by travelers from various countries on social media. Now, I'm sharing the plan as well. Those who are interested in China travel are welcome to consult me. ”
According to data released by China's National Immigration Administration, foreigners' tourism to China continues to heat up. During the National Day holiday, the number of foreign arrivals and exits reached 1.014 million, a year-on-year increase of 37.2%.
"Are you planning a 'dream trip' to this vast country? We've put together a guide that answers some of the most frequently asked questions about traveling to China. United States CNN recently released a detailed report on how to apply for a Chinese visa, how to set up mobile payments, and useful apps to download before traveling to China. According to the report, some foreign tourists have changed their views on China after traveling to China and have begun to plan their next trip to China.
"I've been to China many times. China is fascinating and has a long history. China has a huge advantage in promoting inbound tourism. Peter · Simon, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association, recently expressed the hope that China's tourism products will continue to increase cultural interaction and novelty, so that tourists can get an in-depth experience of local culture.
"We look forward to foreign tourists coming to China to experience more 'interesting and meaningful' cultural tourism products and appreciate China's rich tourism resources and profound cultural heritage. I believe that in this process, an open, confident, civilized and secure China will also be displayed in front of more foreign friends. Li Xinjian said.
Reporter Lin Zihan
People's Daily Overseas Edition (October 19, 2024, Edition 06)