"China Travel" is popular overseas and foreign tourists come here as they please
2024-08-27
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According to data from the China National Immigration Administration, in the first half of this year, 14.635 million foreigners entered China through ports nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 152.7%. Among them, 8.542 million people entered China through visa-free entry, a year-on-year increase of 190.1%. China's inbound tourism market has ushered in a new round of boom, and more and more foreign tourists have fallen in love with "travel in China".
The popularity of "China Tour" stems from China's unique charm, the openness and tolerance of Chinese society and the warmth and friendliness of its people. It is also the fruit of China's continued promotion of high-level opening up. With the continuous expansion of the visa-free "circle of friends" and the continuous optimization of measures to facilitate personnel exchanges, foreign tourists are becoming a reality.
144-hour transit visa exemption policy boosts inbound tourism in China
Visa issues have always been the main difficulty for foreign tourists to travel to China. For some time, China has continuously introduced a number of measures to optimize visas to China, including reducing the content of visa application forms, phased reduction of visa fees, simplifying the approval procedures for studying in China, exempting some applicants from fingerprint collection, exempting visa appointments, and trialing visa-free policies for some countries, etc., which have provided more convenience for foreigners to travel, work, study and live in China, and have been widely welcomed by the international community.
The reporter noticed that my country has implemented a 72/144-hour transit visa exemption policy since January 2013. So far, China's 72/144-hour transit visa exemption policy has been applied to 54 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Japan and other countries. Among domestic cities, Changsha, Harbin, Guilin and other cities have implemented a 72-hour transit visa exemption policy, and 20 cities including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an and Kunming have implemented a 144-hour transit visa exemption policy.
According to Ctrip data, in the second quarter of this year, compared with the first quarter, the number of inbound travel orders from tourists from 54 countries that enjoy the transit visa exemption policy increased by 28%, among which South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Germany, Spain, France and other countries had a large number of inbound tourists. Among the major inbound tourism countries, Greece, Brazil, Hungary, Russia, Canada and other countries had a higher growth rate compared with the first quarter.
Anderson, a Danish university student, is a travel expert. After learning that he could enjoy the 144-hour visa-free transit policy in China, he immediately booked a flight to Chengdu during his summer vacation. The dazzling array of panda-themed cultural and creative products in Chengdu stores and the panda ornaments everywhere on the streets made Anderson, a "panda lover", very excited.
In an interview with the media, Anderson said that the 144-hour transit visa-free policy is very convenient, the transit procedures are handled very quickly, and it provides a permanent option for future travel. He hopes to visit other cities, learn more about China's long history and culture, and experience the colorful customs and practices of various places.
In addition, the payment environment of "swiping cards for large amounts, scanning codes for small amounts, and cash as a guarantee" also brings a more pleasant consumption experience to foreign tourists. According to statistics, in May this year, the number and amount of foreign card transactions at POS machines nationwide doubled compared with February. More than 2 million inbound tourists used mobile payment, and the number and amount of transactions also nearly doubled compared with February.
Cheng Chaogong, chief researcher of Tongcheng Research Institute, once pointed out that both expanding the scope of visa-free countries and facilitating customs clearance are very helpful in promoting inbound tourism. On the one hand, these policies show the world my country's image as a major country that is determined to open up to the outside world and show my country's positive attitude towards travel enthusiasts from all over the world; on the other hand, they will also stimulate some foreign residents to travel and consume in China in the short term.
Foreigners' enthusiasm for coming to China will continue to rise in the second half of the year
With the implementation of a number of visa optimization measures, foreign tourists have come to China in large numbers, and "China Travel" has set off a wave of enthusiasm on global social media platforms. Foreign tourists travel through the streets and alleys of Chinese cities, wearing Hanfu, climbing the Great Wall, watching pandas, and eating hot pot. They use vlogs ranging from a dozen seconds to an hour to truly record every happy moment of their trip to China.
Recently, an American blogger named "Bao Bao Xiong" who has lived in Shanghai for 7 years released a series of videos about traveling in China. Because the phrase "City is not City" appears frequently in the videos, with a rising tone and exaggerated movements, it is very magical and brainwashing, attracting a large number of netizens to follow and imitate. "City is not City" has thus become a hot topic on the Internet.
In a recent interview with the media, "Bao Bao Xiong" expressed that "city" is a place that can bring a lot of stimulation and excitement, just like those joyful moments in life, which are the beauty that will never be forgotten deep in the heart.
"I love Shanghai and I have lived here for seven years. Shanghai is full of vitality and charm, which is exactly what a 'city' represents in my eyes," said Baobao Bear.
Another foreign tourist said that after using mobile payment to pay for shopping in China, the merchant did not even confirm whether the payment had been made, and believed that she had paid. "I feel the trust between people in China." said the tourist.
The reporter noticed that the coverage of the visa-free policy represented by the 72/144-hour transit visa-free policy is still expanding. From July 1, my country officially implemented unilateral visa-free policy for New Zealand, Australia, Poland and other three countries. In addition, many provinces and cities are also stepping up efforts to promote the implementation or improvement of this policy. Previously, Zhengzhou said it would speed up the implementation of the 144-hour visa-free policy for transit personnel at air ports; the Yangtze River Delta region will promote the full implementation of the 144-hour transit visa-free policy for foreign personnel; Sichuan and Chongqing said they will jointly implement the 144-hour transit visa-free policy for foreign personnel.
Recently, Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, talked about "China Travel" at a regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and said that the number of foreign tourists visiting China has remained high recently. We have seen many videos taken by foreign tourists. These "immersive" and "casual shots" show the vigorous vitality of China's development. "In their lenses, there are the brilliant lights of Liangma River in Beijing at night, the home-cooked food on the streets of Shanghai, the 'hardcore' drone food delivery service in Shenzhen, and the high-tech Optics Valley Skytrain and driverless taxis in 'Cyber Wuhan'."
Lin Jian said that the Chinese authorities expect that the enthusiasm of foreigners to visit China will continue to rise in the second half of this year. "We will continue to embrace the world with an open attitude, bring new impetus to the world with our own new development, and make China's foreign exchanges more dynamic and more active."
(Source: China.com reporter Zhao Xiaowen)
