BEIJING: 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.
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.
–The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
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.
